


Burnt Cookies

by Soawksahm (socawkSAHM)



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Romantic Comedy, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-05-23 02:50:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 153,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6102356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/socawkSAHM/pseuds/Soawksahm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Modern AU, Characters in mid to late 20s] Lucy is out of luck when her oven breaks right when she has a big order to finish. Thank goodness her friend Levy knows someone who's willing to work for baked goods.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fixing the Temperature

Levy started her morning the same way she had for the past month. Before opening her shop, she entered the new bakery next door. Usually Lucy would greet her with a smile and a coffee, and take her first break of the day, since it was the morning lull, to sit and chat at one of the tables in the cafe area of the store. This morning however, instead of a happy hello, she heard banging and cursing coming from the kitchen.

Concerned and extremely curious, she poked her head in the back, "Lucy?"

Lucy popped her head up from behind one of the metal work tables with a surprised expression. She was covered in grease and flour, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "Oh Levy! It's you. Thank goodness, I don't know how I'd explain myself to a customer." She stood and dusted off her hands, then attempted to smooth her hair.

"Is everything okay?" asked Levy as she stepped into the back room.

"Yes . . .I mean no!" Lucy rubbed her eyes, trying hard to stop the tears that threatened to come forward. "Oh Levy, I don't know what I'm going to do! Big Virgo is down! I can't get this stupid thing to work properly and I have been working on it all morning! It burned my first batch of cookies then under-cooked the next batch and I have a huge order for tomorrow!"

"Oh no! Lucy that's terrible!"

"I know! I only have the little oven working. It's going to take me all night to finish all the product I need for the order while still keeping up with my regulars during the day!" She turned to the oven. "Why do you have to let me down when I need you the most, you stupid behemoth! Lucy kick!" and she kicked it with all her might. Apparently it hurt her more than it hurt the oven, because she then began bouncing, holding her foot and howling in pain.

"Oh Lucy!" Levy hurried over to her friend and helped her limp out of the kitchen to sit at one of the tables in the front. "Surely there's something we can do? Can't you just call a repairman? Why are you trying to fix it yourself?"

"I don't have the money for a repairman!" Lucy cradled her face in her hands. Levy walked over and poured them both a cup of coffee from the carafe. After fixing them the way they both liked it, with a shot of milk and two scoops of hot cocoa mix, she sat down across from Lucy.

"Here, drink up, nothing like something hot and chocolate to turn that frown upside down!" Levy said cheerfully.

"What am I going to do?" Lucy moaned, ignoring the mug in front of her.

"Hmm," Levy touched her lip thoughtfully. "Oh, I know a guy who might help! He's kinda an all-round handyman, mostly electrical work though. Sometimes he does small appliance repairs for me. Maybe I can get him to give you a deal." Levy offered.

Lucy's head popped up. "Really, you think he would look at it for me?"

Levy laughed. "Yea, probably. He's a good guy, we grew up together. I'll give him a call."

"Oh, but all I can afford to pay him with right now is coffee and baked goods!" Lucy's head fell back again.

Levy patted Lucy's head, "Oh Lucy, don't you worry. He probably prefers muffins to money anyway."

* * *

"Yea Gray, I'll be by later. I just have to help out this friend of Levy's." Natsu parked his truck in the parking lot of Magnolia Shopping Center. He had been here many times before, it was owned by the man who brought him in as a child and it now housed many of his childhood friend's businesses. Currently there was Levy's book store, Mira's bar, Jet's athletic shop, and Droy's florist. The bakery was new; he had not had a chance to try it yet. Maybe that was a good thing if the baker was already blowing out her oven.

"Oh man, that's so lame. You could have said no you know." Came Gray's voice on the other side of the line.

"Hah as if man, I tried to! Then she threatened to call Erza. Apparently this baker makes some cake she's obsessed with and you know about Erza and her sweets. I don't have a death wish." Natsu locked his car door and headed towards the store. It was dark out and the bakery was closed, but Levy said just knock and the girl would let him in.

"So what's in it for you?" Gray asked.

"Other than not having Erza bash my head in? Free food. It had better be good or I'm never picking up the phone for Levy again. She only calls when she needs a favor. I'm getting tired of fixing all her old stuff." Natsu knocked on the door of the bakery. The light was on in the back, so she was definitely there. He turned and looked out at the parking lot watching a light flicker on and off over near Mira's establishment.

"What kind of free food?" Gray asked.

"Oi, gramps needs to get that light in front of Mira's place. It makes this place seem super sketchy after dark," he complained.

"Man, you have the shortest attention span, I don't know why I try to have a conversation on the phone with you." Gray sighed.

"Huh?"

"What kind of food Natsu? Can you bring me some?" Gray asked.

"I don't know man, muffins? It's a bakery! How would I know? I've never been in here before. Let me see if I can see something in the win . . ." He stopped mid-sentence when he turned around and saw what he could only describe as a blond angel heading his way. This was not at all what he had expected when Levy had told him the baker next door needed help. "I'm gonna kill Levy, a little warning would have been nice," he hissed into the phone by accident, not really meaning to voice his thoughts.

"What? See this is what I was saying earlier, what the hell are you talking about?" Gray groaned.

"Whatever Ice Princess, gotta go!" Natsu hung up quick, ignoring Gray's sounds of protest. He smiled big as the baker started to turn all the locks to open the door.

"Natsu?" She asked hesitantly.

"That's me!" Dear lord, he hoped she cooked as good as she looked.

* * *

When Levy had said pink hair, Lucy had thought surely she exaggerated. But here he was, with salmon pink hair, tinkering inside her oven.

"This is easy Lucy; the bulb is just loose in your thermostat." Natsu said with a mouthful of muffin.

"Really? So can you fix it?" Lucy dared to hope.

"Yea, of course! It's already done." He pulled himself out of the oven and grinned at her with some crumbs on left on his chin. It was weirdly adorable. "Let's fire this bad boy up," he said as he plugged it in and turned the dial to 350 degrees. Lucy watched with glee as the thermostat inside the oven rose as it should.

"Natsu, you are my hero!" Lucy screamed and nearly knocked him over with an enthusiastic hug.

His eyes widened in surprise before he returned it with a smile, saying "No problem Luce."

Lucy pulled away, suddenly embarrassed by her outburst. Her cheeks burned, "uh sorry, just really happy to have my oven back. Now let's just try it out real quick." She grabbed a prepped pan of cookies and stuck them in the oven, setting a timer for twelve minutes.

Natsu hopped up on one of her prep tables, helping himself to another muffin. "I'll just wait to make sure it's working like it should before I get out of here. Any way I could get some of these to go?"

"Of course, you can take whatever you want. Well, other than the cookies on the rack over there, because they are for an order. You ever want a coffee come on by, this is a lifesaver. Now I'm going to actually be able to finish my order and get some sleep tonight." She went under one of the tables and pulled out a box, after folding it together she slid it over to him. "Fill it on up, whatever you like." She smiled really big and ran back to wash her hands. When she returned, she pulled a lump of dough from the fridge and threw in down on one of the tables, rolling it out quickly and then filling trays with cutout dough shapes. Lucy looked up to see Natsu staring at her fascinated, his half-filled box forgotten in his hands. Unable to stand the silence as her eyes caught his, she asked, "Is there anything in particular you are looking for? I think there's still some chocolate chip cookies left over."

That seemed to snap him out of it,"Nah, I'm pretty sure if the rest of your stuff is like the muffin I ate, I'd like anything you made Lucy."

Lucy couldn't help but giggle at the compliment. She was glad when the oven dinged and broke the tension. Her attraction to him was making it hard to behave like a normal human being. She pulled out the shortbreads, they were perfect. Lucy set them on a cooling rack. She was so excited the oven worked that she did small celebration dance, completely forgetting that Natsu was still in the room. His laugh brought her back to earth. She turned around with a sheepish smile, "this just makes me really happy."

"I'm glad," he said. "I'm guessing you would be too busy to go join me for a drink at Mira's?"

"I'm afraid so," and for once Lucy was being honest. "But tell Mira I say hello."

"You do go there sometimes?" asked Natsu.

"Yea, just usually around happy hour," Lucy said as she put twelve trays of cookies in Big Bertha. "It's the curse of being a baker, early to bed and early to rise!"

"Of course," Natsu scratched the back of his head. "Well, I guess I'll see ya around."

Lucy looked up at him, "Yea, thanks Natsu. And really, come by any time you want a coffee, it's on the house!"

Then with a wave he was out the door. All night Lucy found she had to work hard to concentrate on the task at hand instead of the handsome handyman.


	2. First Comes Gingerbread

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Free Coffee and an excuse to see the cute baker again, Natsu can’t help himself. But her past makes her seem so much more out of his reach

* * *

 

Lucy was in the middle of getting some of her small cakes in the oven, when she heard the bell signaling a customer had entered the bakery. "I'll be right there!" she called out. She shut the oven and turned on the timer. After washing her hands and making sure she didn't have flour on her face, she stepped out to the front.

Her breath caught when she noticed a familiar pink head perusing the knickknacks she had for sale on the shelves by the front door. She hadn't expected to see him so soon. Maybe this meant he felt the same way she did? He looked slightly more dressed up today, still in work boots and jeans, but with a button up and scarf around his neck. Natsu had not yet noticed her presence; he seemed to be muttering to himself under his breath, his face uncertain.

"Good Morning Natsu!" she said cheerily.

Natsu turned and gave her a wide toothy smile and headed towards her. "Morning Luce! I had some spare time so I thought I'd come by and take you up on that coffee."

Lucy tried hard not to let her smile falter. Of course he wasn't here to see her; he was here for the coffee. She was so stupid sometimes. "Of course! How do you like it? Just a regular? Or if you like, I could make a latte or a cappuccino."

"Just black is all I need," He said warmly and he began to wander around, looking at all the food in the display cases.

Silly Lucy, she thought to herself, as if she had time to date anyway. It was definitely nice to make new friend though, especially ones who would fix things for coffee and muffins. "Do you want something to eat too?"

"That would be great!" He turned and smiled at her again. That smile did weird things to her stomach; she turned and poured the coffee, hoping her face wasn't giving her away.

"I just tried a new recipe for gingerbread muffins, you can be my taste tester." Lucy handed him the mug of coffee and motioned him to follow her to the back.

"Sure I like gingerbread, you sure it's okay if I come back here?" Natsu hesitated to enter the back room.

Lucy laughed, "Of course! It's my place! Just sit over there and I'll get you a muffin. You can keep me company while I get these cookies decorated."

Natsu sat down and thanked her when she handed him one of the warm freshly baked muffins. When he took a bite he moaned, "Oh man, that's good."

"Guess that recipe is a winner," Lucy chuckled as she sprinkled different colors of sugar on the cut out cookie snowflakes in front of her.

"You got that right!" he said with his mouth full. His manners were terrible; her former teachers would be appalled. The thought of their shocked faces made her giggle. He looked up at her confused. "What's so funny Lucy?"

"Oh nothing, I was just thinking about something." Lucy blushed.

Natsu gave her a curious look but didn't ask anymore. He stood and looked at one of the rolling racks. "Wow is this the order from last night?"

"Yea, aren't they cute! She's going to pick them up this afternoon, so once I finish these I'll box them up." She was very proud of the little blue bonnets, booties, and teddy bears she made for the baby shower. It was a large order and she hoped it would lead to many more.

"What made you want to become a baker?" Natsu asked, drinking his coffee and nosily looking from rack to rack. It was obvious he had trouble sitting still.

"Well, when I was younger my father was away a lot, so I spent a lot of time with the help," Lucy began.

Natsu turned suddenly and looked at her, "The help? Like maids and butlers and stuff?"

"Yea, I grew up in a large house, so we just had a few people hired to help run things." Lucy grimaced; help was probably not the best choice of wording. She found herself embarrassed when she discussed her past life with her current neighbors and friends. She had no reason to hide it, and wasn't one to lie about it, but she did find that it seemed to create a new obstacle in forming relationships with people from more humble beginnings. Lucy hoped it wouldn't make Natsu look at her differently. "Anyway, I became very close with our cook Aed, and I would spend a lot of time in the kitchen. At first he would just give me little tasks, like chopping veggies, but by the end my dad couldn't tell the difference between my cooking and Aed's."

"That must have surprised him," Natsu said.

"Yea . . . It did." Lucy said quietly. "He wasn't as happy as I hoped he would be."

"No?" asked Natsu.

"No, but I knew I loved it, especially deserts, so after high school I chose culinary school with a focus on Baking and Pastry arts, and here I am!" Lucy said cheerfully, trying to hide the sudden pain in her heart from reliving her father's disappointments. She looked up to see Natsu staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. She was grateful to yet again be saved by the ding of the oven, her first batch of cakes finished.

"Are those the Erza cakes?" asked Natsu, smelling in their general direction.

"Huh? Oh yea, she gets one almost every day," Lucy said as she pulled them from the oven and placed them on a rack to cool. "I don't know where she puts it all; there isn't an ounce of fat on her."

"Probably burns it all off using _reasonable_ force," Natsu muttered, making Lucy laugh out loud. Though she really likes Detective Scarlett, she had to admit she was extremely intimidated by her. The one time Lucy had sold out of her small strawberry cakes, Erza had made the most terrifying face, as if she was shooting daggers from her very eyes. Needless to say, after that day Lucy always made sure to have at least one available.

"Yes, I would not want to be investigated by her," Lucy grinned.

"Should have seen her as a street cop, there was this one time . . ." Natsu was about to say something else when he noticed the clock on the wall. His face dropped, "Is that the real time?" Lucy nodded. "Oh man, I've got to get going; I have to go get a bid in to a potential client." He held up his arms, "how do I look?"

Lucy couldn't help but laugh. "You have crumbs all over your face and scarf."

"Really?" he hastily dusted himself off, missing most of the crumbs.

Lucy sighed and shook her head, "you really are hopeless." She walked over and helped brush the leftover gingerbread and reached up to wipe the few left on his chin. The way he looked at her when she touched his face made her feel flushed and weak in the knees. Literally weak in the knees, Lucy didn't even realize that was a real thing. She hoped he didn't notice, it was so embarrassing. "Must be a big client if you're worrying this much about your appearance," she teased. Lucy headed back to her station, trying to get her breathing back to normal by increasing her distance from the pink haired man.

"Yea, she's a real pain in the ass, but the jobs always pay well so it's not so bad." When Lucy looked back at Natsu, he smiled and winked, "Wish me luck!" He waved and hurried out the front door.

"Good luck!" She called out to his retreating form. Then she said to herself, "Get it together Lucy, he's going to think you are some kind of weirdo." Then she went back to her sugar cookies.

* * *

Natsu pulled Levy's ponytail before taking the seat next to her at the bar. "Thank for sending me in there blind Levy," he grumbled.

"What? But Lucy's so nice! Was it a really big repair?" Levy was confused.

Gray took the seat next to Natsu and laughed. "He's just mad because you didn't tell him she was hot. Apparently if Natsu is surprised by attractive women his brain spontaneously combusts. I should know since I was on the phone with him when it happened."

"Shut your piehole Ice Queen!" Natsu growled.

Gray stood up, "You wanna go flame brain!"

"What will it be boys?" Mira had perfect timing as usual.

"Whatever dark ale you have on tap," Natsu said.

"Same," said Gray, returning to his seat.

"Well, I didn't really think she was your type . . ." Levy started.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you know, the last couple have been kinda, well," Levy searched for the right word, "obtuse."

"Huh?" asked Natsu.

"Stupid, Natsu all your other girlfriends have been complete morons," Gray explained.

"I don't know that you could really call them girlfriends either," said Cana with a big grin, draping herself over Natsu's shoulder.

"What! I don't date idiots!" spat Natsu.

Levy raised an eyebrow, "What about Beth?" Natsu glared at her and took a drink of his beer.

"Milianna?" Levy went on. "Remember her? The one with that weird, crazy cat obsession? Didn't she try to steal Happy when you broke it off with her?" Natsu sank deeper on his barstool

"Hey, I kinda liked Milianna," said Erza as she sat next to Levy.

"Yea, it was fun making bets on how many times we could get her to meow in a conversation," added Cana.

Natsu stood up enraged. "Why is this turning into an attack on my sex life?"

"Oh so you did sleep with Milianna, I wondered," said Erza. She raised her finger to get Mira's attention.

Natsu sat and slid his hands down his face with a groan. "I hate you guys."

"What about Lamy?" Gray asked.

"Oh . . . I forgot about Lamy." Natsu's head popped up. "Yea, she was awful."

"I wish I could forget about Lamy," said Cana. "She threatened to cut me if I ever came near you, and then proceeded to show me the massive blade she kept in her purse. Still gives me nightmares, what a weirdo."

"Yea me too," said Erza and Levy at the same time. The both smiled in commiseration.

"What? Really? I only went out with her two times!" Natsu was aghast.

"Anyway, do you really like Lucy?" Levy changed the subject. "If you do, I definitely approve. I love Lucy! It's so great to finally have someone I can discuss literature with. She's a lot of fun. I go over there every morning before I open shop."

"Her cake is sometimes the only pleasant thing about my day," said Erza, getting a far off look in her eye. "One bite and all the nastiness and violence of the day just melts away."

Natsu became defensive, "Hey now, let's not get carried away, I didn't say I liked her. I mean, I do like her, but not in a like-like kinda way."

"Shut up, you totally do," said Cana.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Mira, bring over Erza's drink.

"How Natsu likes Lucy," Levy said matter of fact.

Natsu banged his head on the bar, he was screwed now.

"Oooooh I love Lucy! Oh you should ask her out, you guys would be so cute!" Mira clapped her hands.

"How is it that everyone already knows Lucy?" asked Gray.

"She comes in every now and then for happy hour," said Mira.

"She's my neighbor," said Cana.

"She lives near you? Really?" asked Natsu.

"Yea, why?" Cana furrowed her brow.

"Cause you live in a dump. I would have expected her to be somewhere a little bit nicer," Natsu wrinkled his nose.

"There's nothing wrong with my building," defended Cana.

"Yes, they haven't had an incident there in almost three months now," Erza added, causing Cana to roll her eyes.

"Really though, Lucy has a nicer unit than mine. It's a one bedroom instead of a studio. But I'm sure you'll be able to tell us all about it in a few weeks anyway." Cana licked her finger and stuck it in Natsu's ear.

"Hey! Stop that!" Natsu yelled, batting her hand away. He stood, took a last sip of his beer and tossed some cash on the bar. "You guys are the worst, I'm going home."

"Can't take the heat?" teased Gray, his eyes glinting.

"There's nothing wrong with having a little crush Natsu," smiled Levy.

"No, come on that's enough. I've got one word for you Gray, _Juvia._ " Gray was suddenly very interested in his beer, target destroyed Natsu moved on. "And Levy why don't we talk about the fact that all of a sudden I'm getting a lot of calls from you to fix things. Why aren't you calling Gajeel? He's more our appliance and metal guy anyway."

Levy's smile dropped, "Not cool Natsu. Sorry guys, excuse me." She got up and headed in the direction of the bathroom.

"That wasn't very nice Natsu," scolded Mira.

"How the hell would I know that wasn't nice when no one will tell me what's going on with them?" Natsu looked at Gray who shrugged and all three girls continued to give him death glares. "Oi, if you guys are gonna be stupid, I've got better things to do." Natsu ignored their pleas to stay and walked out to his truck. He glanced over at the bakery, it was dark and still inside. He figured a rich girl like her wouldn't want anything to do with a poor contractor like him, but it didn't hurt to look. He would find time for coffee again tomorrow, he thought. Then he started his truck and drove away.


	3. Then Comes a Mugging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A job makes Natsu have to disappear for a week, Levy’s reason for being sad about Gajeel is revealed accidentally to Cana, and, after having to be on her own, a stranger approaches Lucy on her walk home.

* * *

 

Natsu was on his way to Lucy's when his phone rang. He answered without checking the number, "Natsu."

"Jenny accepted the bid; I need you to get over to her lake house right away. She wants you to take her to pick out materials for the trim and floor," Laxus grumbled.

"Do I have to go now? I kinda have somewhere to be," Natsu responded sharply before actually thinking about who he was speaking with.

"Mmmm? Do you want a job Natsu? Or should I just have Gajeel do this one on his own? Jenny asked for you specifically, apparently the rest of us can't do fucking floors. If we lose this job because you've got your panties in a twist, you can just not call me for any more work because I don't need any babies on my team." Laxus' tone made Natsu grimace. A pissed off Laxus was not what he needed in his life.

"Nah, nah, chill out," Natsu made a U-turn and headed in the direction of Jenny's home. "I'm heading there now."

"Good, don't forget to text Gajeel when you've got the supplies all set. He knows he's on standby for when you are ready to start demoing the old floor. I'm helping the old man today, apparently he's having some lighting issue over at Magnolia. Call me if you need me." Laxus hung up before Natsu could get another word in.

Natsu tossed his phone on the seat next to him and slammed his fist on the dash, cursing under his breath. He turned up the radio and exhaled loudly, unable to stop himself from looking in his rear view longingly. He had been so close to his half hour escape with Lucy. He knew he should have gotten her number yesterday, why did he hesitate? How is it that after over a week of coming by, he was still so unsure of himself around her? Now his uncertainty was leaving him without a good way to tell Lucy he would be gone all week. Jenny's lake house was too far away for him to run back to town for coffee and there was no way to get back in time to catch her before she closed. Would she even care that he didn't come by? Damn Jenny's timing!

* * *

Levy hit the silence button on her alarm clock for the third time that morning and fell back hard on her pillow. Her head was throbbing and her mouth felt like sand paper. Yet, even though her body felt like there wasn't a single drop of moisture left in it, she couldn't stop crying because she had dreamed of him again.

Last night she had not felt up to going out, so Cana had taken it upon herself to bring the party to Levy. Two romantic comedies and three bottles of wine later, she had revealed her secret. She and Gajeel had slept together and now he avoided her like the plague. Annoyingly, Cana had only been mildly surprised and she told Levy she needed to woman up and punch that metal head in the face. She had also told Levy that when Gajeel came into the bar, he had been depressed, and would drink himself silly in the corner before stumbling home alone. Apparently Natsu and Gray had told Cana that Gajeel had become a bear to work with on their jobs, quieter and crankier than usual. Instead of helping, all of this information seemed to completely break down all of the progress she had made at getting over it. If he was so damn upset, then why the hell wasn't he speaking to her?

She flipped and screamed into her pillow. The images of that night a few months prior just wouldn't get out of her head!

_It was a fairly typical Saturday night. Levy found a new book to read, so instead of going to the bar when she closed for her Sunday/Monday weekend, she hurried home, ordered Chinese, and perched herself on her favorite chaise with a glass of wine. Levy read way too late, as usual, and fell asleep in the chair._

_She woke up completely disoriented with a large man sitting at the end of her chaise, his head in his hands, staring out at nothing. They had become very close over the couple years, so she had entrusted Gajeel with a key so that while she was at work he could come fix things for her or leave his cat Lily if he was going out of town. It was also not unusual for him to stop by on his way home from the bar. Sometimes they would chat for a bit with some coffee; other times, when he caught Levy in this position, he would carry her to her bed and then quietly leave. Catching him sitting next to her in the dark with a dreary look on his face was new to her._

_When she started to shift to sit back up, he looked at her and asked quietly, "Levy? Are you awake?"_

_Levy rubbed her eyes and said groggily, "Yea . . . are you okay? What's going on?"_

_He looked at her, his face just barely revealing the internal conflict he had going on inside. He tried to explain himself, "No Shrimp, I'm not okay. It's just . . . I can't . . ."_

_"You can't what?" Levy reached for his hand, want to comfort and calm him. His odd behavior troubled her._

_Gajeel looked at her hand, then into her eyes. He made a growl like noise and rubbed his face; then suddenly he looked up and reached out to her saying "Please don't hate me Shorty."_

_The next thing Levy knew, Gajeel's lips were on hers, his hands gently cradling her chin. His kiss was surprisingly confident yet gentle, and he tasted strongly of bourbon. Realizing she was finally getting the moment she had been waiting for, she returned the kiss. He growled again, suddenly lifting her into his lap, chuckling at her squeak of surprise. His kisses became deep and greedy; grabbing her shirt in bunches behind her as if barely restraining himself from tearing it off. She felt herself begin to lose control as her body responded to his, her hunger for him finally let loose from its cage. At this point she really should have stopped it. He had obviously been drinking and so suddenly they had left a simple first kiss. But the devil on her shoulder won the battle, because when he lifted her to carry her to the bedroom, sucking and biting her ears and neck, instead of saying "wait" or "stop," she moaned in pleasure instead._

_Levy woke the next morning happy and satisfied, pleased to feel his arm tightly around her waist. However, before she could turn to kiss him and whisper good morning, he was awake and gently removing himself from her side. He hissed "Shit, shit, what have I done!" Levy had been shocked and hurt, feeling extremely vulnerable in her current state; she let him leave and pretended to sleep. She heard him pause one last time by the door and sigh, "Oh fuck, she's going to hate me." Then he was gone._

After their encounter she had tried to talk to him but he wouldn't pick up his phone, and his texts became shorter and shorter until there was no response. He no longer stopped by the store and he avoided Mira's whenever Levy was there. The one time she had caught him out, he had looked at her, paled, and then the asshole had the audacity to run away without a word. That had been an extremely hard day.

Now here she was, almost two months later, and not a single word from a man she had grown to consider her best friend, and it really stung. She looked at the clock and cringed. Levy was going to be super late today. She dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. She had to get over her self-pity and shake off this funk. It wasn't as if she could call in sick!

* * *

Lucy looked at the text and wanted to cry. Levy was running late and couldn't come by. That meant another day with no company, trapped with her cookies. The baby shower had been a huge hit, bringing her tons of special orders. Unfortunately, between those orders and Christmas, she was now baking and decorating nonstop, sometimes staying past ten. All she had time to do when she left work was walk home, shower, and flop into bed. Then she was up at three to come back and do it again. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for the business, but after a week straight of Natsu's company, his absence left a gaping hole. It just made the feeling of solitude that much more bitter. It really bothered her that there had been no warning. Did he care about her at all?

* * *

Natsu sat at a booth in Mira's, still nursing the beer he had gotten when he came in hours ago. Every day he raced to the bar, hoping to catch Lucy at the end of happy hour. Every day he was disappointed when he walked to his truck and saw her light still on in the back of the bakery. He wanted to go and knock on the locked front door, but he wasn't sure if he would be welcomed. The longer he put off trying, the more convinced he became that he wouldn't be. Natsu was so wrapped up in thinking about Lucy that he didn't anything of it when he responded to Gajeel's text with "No, Levy isn't here."

Gray sat in the chair across from him putting a large plate of cheese fries in front of Natsu. "Mira says they are on the house if I can get you to stop moping and bringing her customers down. So what crawled up your butt and died today? Have too much hot sauce for lunch?"

"Nothing man, I'm just tired. Jenny is working us like dogs." Natsu grabbed a handful from the greasy plate and stuffed it in his mouth.

Gajeel thumped into the booth next to him, double in hand. "Yea, if that lady doesn't stop micromanaging everything we do, I'm gonna have to snap her tiny neck."

"Fantastic, I'm sitting with two rays of sunshine. If I hang out here with you guys any longer I might try to drown myself in my beer mug. You really need to lighten up or else I'm not coming to help you tomorrow," Gray sat back in his chair, stretching his arms behind his head.

"Shut up ice princess," said Natsu grumpily.

"Yea, eat a dick," added Gajeel.

Gray was about to retort when an extremely drunk Cana dropped into the chair next to him and covered his mouth. She furrowed her brow and look at Gajeel. "Redfox," she said.

He looked at her quizzically and responded, "Alberona."

"What the fuck's your problem?" she spat.

"Huh?" he looked up at her lost.

"How could you do that to our sweet little Levy? Do you not have a single brain cell in your Neanderthal head?" Cana was starting to climb up on the table now, putting a finger in Gajeel's face as he stared at her, pale and wide eyed. "I'm gonna tear every one of those stupid pieces of metal out of your stupid face and shove them up your . . ."

Before she could finish, Gray grabbed her and pulled her away from the large dark man. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I think that's enough crazy for one evening!"

What amazed Natsu was that Gajeel said nothing, his face sad and ready to accept his fate. "Hey, I can take her home. I need to go anyway and she's definitely had enough. Can you take her out to the car? I'll meet ya there in a sec." Natsu tossed Gray the keys.

Cana slipped out of his hold and fell in front of Natsu purring "What a good boy you are! I'll read your fortune," she grabbed his hand and licked his palm. "I see a beautiful blond in your future!" she cackled.

"Yea, definitely time to get her home, I'll see you outside," laughed Gray and he tossed Cana over his shoulder, carrying her singing, drunk self to the front door.

Natsu slid out of the booth and turned to Gajeel dropping a few bucks on the table for Mira. "Look man, I don't know what's going on between you and Levy . . ." Gajeel opened his mouth to say something but Natsu stopped him. "Truthfully, I don't need to know." Gajeel nodded quietly and Natsu continued. "What I do know is she's sad and hurting, and you need to fix this. I'm tired of fixing that girl's microwave. How many times can you forget to put water in a cup of noodles?"

At this Gajeel sat back and smiled fondly, "Yea, she really needs to get her head out of those books every once and a while. I'm worried she's gonna burn the whole place down."

"Yea, I don't have time to be her fix it guy and I can tell I'm not her first choice, so you really need to talk to her. I don't know how someone so smart can be so scatter brained, and I really don't have the patience for it. Quit being such a chicken shit and start acting like the Gajeel we know and tolerate. This whole thing is getting old." After giving Gajeel a nod, he grabbed the fries, "And I'm taking these, cause I gotta drive drunky home."

Gajeel waved him off. As Natsu left he called out to Mira, "I'll bring the basket back tomorrow!" She laughed and blew him a kiss as he walked out the front door.

* * *

It had been an extremely long and exhausting day for Lucy. It was ten o'clock and despite the work left to complete, Lucy knew it was time to throw in the towel. She would need to find some holiday help, Lucy just didn't have the energy left to get this all done by herself. She put the deposit bag in her purse, shut off all the lights, and headed out the back door.

Lucy did not yet have the funds to buy a car, and even if she did, she couldn't afford to fuel one. The walk to her apartment wasn't far and it was a reasonably safe neighborhood. Typically the walk was a soothing way to decompress after a hard day of work. Tonight was just a little bit later than usual, nothing to worry about.

She was so caught up in her exhaustion and missing Natsu, that she went in auto pilot right past the bank, forgetting to leave her envelope of deposits in the drop box. She was also so distracted, that it wasn't until he was holding a knife to her throat that Lucy noticed the man who had been creeping up behind her. Lucy started to panic, all her money, all her hard work was in her purse. She was barely getting by, she wouldn't be able to hire anyone if this man took it from her.

"G. . . g . . .give me your purse," the man's high voice stuttered.

Sensing his hesitancy, Lucy felt brave and reached up to grab his weapon, "Wait, is this a butter knife?"

She turned towards him and he leapt away, holding a plastic butter knife, ready to strike.

"No, it's my claws! Now you've made me really angry. I'm super strong," he pulled out a plastic fork. "Now you've got both sets of claws. You're really going to get it now!"

This is when Lucy realized he was wearing dog ears and was that a sock hanging around his neck? This man was completely unhinged. Lucy rubbed her tired eyes in disbelief, "This can't be for real."

"Just give me your purse!" screamed the man and he lunged for it, making Lucy join in a tug-o-war struggle to hang onto it. Lucy heard a car slam on its brakes and a door open. She nearly dropped her purse in surprise as she watched a furious Natsu storm over and clock the strange mugger in the face. The plastic utensil aggressor fell to the ground, knocked out cold. Natsu turned to her concerned, "Are you okay Luce?"

"Uh. Ye . . .yes, th . .thank you," she stuttered, still in shock at the entire situation.

"Let me take you home, you live near Cana right?" he put his arm around her shoulder and began herding her towards his truck.

"Uh, ye . .yes, th . .thank you,"Lucy said again. Why could she not make any other words come out of her mouth!

Natsu opened the door and gave her a boost into the cab. "Sorry it's a tight squeeze tonight."

"Lucy!" yelled Cana, folding Lucy into a bear hug when she slid over next to her. Natsu climbed in next to her and shut the door. "See Natsu, I do good fortunes!" Cana began laughing maniacally, then suddenly slumped against her car window, fast asleep.

Natsu smiled apologetically, "She's a little drunk, I had to take her home from Mira's, there's no way she could have made it home. Sorry, let me call Erza about the mugger and then we can be on our way." He put the phone up to his ear and put his arm on the back of the bench behind her. Natsu felt so warm it was hard for Lucy not to snuggle closer.

"Yea, Toby's back, he just attacked Lucy at the intersection of Main and Sakura Way." He listed for a second and then softly chuckled. "Yea . . .I kinda hit him harder than I meant to. I don't think he's going anywhere anytime soon. Yea, I'll let her know."

He started the car and pulled into the street. "Erza is sending Meredy over to pick up Toby, but she's gonna need a statement from you. Is that okay?"

"Yes, but we don't have to come back here do we?" asked Lucy

"No, no, she'll come to your apartment. It won't take long; the whole thing was pretty straightforward. Why were you walking home anyway? It's so late!" Natsu said incredulously.

"Well, I always walk home. It's not as if I have another way, I don't have a car. I've never had any trouble before." Lucy blinked her eyes widely, trying not to let herself fall asleep from coming down off the adrenaline. The exhaustion from earlier was suddenly hitting her in full force.

"You don't have a car?" Natsu glanced over at her confused then quickly looked back at the road. "It's normally pretty safe here. I think Toby is just back on drugs again, he's been sober for a long time, I can't remember the last time he tried to steal from someone. Guess it was just your lucky night!" He pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Text yourself so you have my number. Call me next time; I'll come over and drive you home."

"Oh no, I couldn't make you do that!" said Lucy.

"You wouldn't be making me, I want to help you Luce," he turned and grinned at her. "I like helping you."

She smiled back at him, and then she looked at the phone and began to enter her number into his messenger, "Well, if you put it that way."

"Smooth Dragneel," slurred Cana from her corner of the truck, eyes still closed. Natsu rolled his eyes and groaned. Lucy couldn't help but giggle. Thank goodness Cana had needed a ride home.

* * *

Natsu never thought he would be so happy that Toby had fallen off the wagon. Toby was now on his way in Meredy's cruiser to a warm holding cell. Natsu was on Lucy's couch, waiting for her to return from the kitchen where she was making him some tea and grabbing a few cookies to thank him for his help. Her apartment was much more practical than he had expected. It was warm and homey, but the furniture was worn and it was sparsely decorated. He didn't know what he expected, a castle? Either way, he liked it, he could really see himself spending a lot of time here with the smells of good cooking, the comfortable places to sit, and the beautiful blond baker heading his way with delicious things.

She set the things she brought on the table and Natsu's eyes widened when she joined him on the couch, sitting right next to him and wrapping her arms around him, placing her golden head on his chest.

"Thank you for rescuing me," she whispered sweetly into his coat.

He smiled. "No problem Lucy, though really you probably could have taken him by yourself anyway."

She looked up at him, her brow furrowed, "Where have you been all week? I missed you."

His heart gave a squeeze, she did care! He had been such an idiot. "Sorry, I didn't have your number and I was called off to a job down by the lake. I couldn't get over during your open hours."

Lucy seemed confused, "My store doesn't have to be open for you to come by, you're my friend, just knock on the door. I would let you in."

Natsu could kill himself, he really was a moron.

Lucy snuggled back into his chest. "Can you stay here tonight? I have blankets for the couch, I just don't feel safe on my own right now."

"Of course Luce, do you need a ride in the morning too?" Natsu asked. Lucy didn't respond, he looked down and saw she was fast asleep. Unable to help himself he kissed the top of her head and pulled her close to him. She smelled like vanilla and lavender. Yea, he could really get used to this.

After about fifteen minutes, when he knew she was in a deep sleep, he picked her up and carried her to her room. He gently tucked her into her bed and watched her sleep peacefully for a few seconds before going back to the living room and getting comfortable on the couch. After making sure his alarm was set on his phone, he closed his eyes, falling asleep with a smile on his face.


	4. Then Comes Exes with Fancy Cars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natsu finally finishes the job and Lucy runs into someone from her past. After a 2 month absence Gajeel returns but how will Levy receive him.

* * *

 

At three AM Lucy woke up in her bed, fully clothed from the day before, her skin and hair feeling completely saturated with greasy butter. She sleepily turned off her alarm and rolled out of bed, just barely staying upright. "Wow, I must have been extremely tired last night," she yawned to herself.

She stripped down to her bra and underwear, throwing her disgusting clothes in the laundry hamper. Then after tossing her towel over her shoulder she padded out of the bedroom to the bathroom next to the kitchen. She turned the shower on as hot as she could stand it, letting the water pour over her face. Finally awake and grease free, she stepped out, threw her hair in a messy bun, and wrapped her towel around her midsection.

Lucy stepped out of the bathroom humming, moving into the kitchen and starting up the coffee maker. She pulled a yogurt out of the fridge, pulled a spoon from the drawer and leaned back on the counter as she pulled off the lid. She made a happy little moan when she ate the first bite, but was torn from her morning routine when she heard the sound of someone clearing his throat. Her eyes grew wide and her spoon to the floor when she looked up and saw Natsu sitting on her couch.

"Morning Lucy," he said, smiling the biggest grin she had ever seen.

"H . . . how, how long have you been up?" she asked, the fog of her tired morning brain lifting and the memory of the night before returning all too clearly.

"Long enough to know I want to sleep on this couch every night," he teased.

"Natsu!" she yelled while pathetically attempting to throw a dish towel at him. It didn't even make it out of the kitchen.

"Oh, come on," he stood up and stretched his back. "It's just like seeing you in a bathing suit. It wasn't that bad."

Lucy's eyes grew wider. Oh God! She walked through here in her underwear! She squeaked, tossed the yogurt on the counter and ran to her room to put on her clothes. When she returned a few minutes later, Natsu had found mugs in the cabinet and was pouring them each a cup from the finished pot. When he looked up at her she couldn't help but blush.

"Sorry, I wake up early all the time, but it still takes my brain an hour or so to turn on," she said taking the mug he handed her. Despite her embarrassment, it really was nice to have some company this early in the morning.

Natsu chuckled, "Well you don't have to apologize to me." He winked at her.

Lucy scowled and smacked him playfully on the arm. Then she pulled another spoon out of the drawer and returned to her yogurt. "When do you have to get over to work?"

"I try to get there at six, so I can get a few hours of peace and be able to work without the client watching my every move, but really I don't have to be there until eight."

"What exactly are you doing?" Lucy asked.

"Putting in a floor, some crown, and beadboard at a lake house down in Onibas," he said as he sat at her small kitchen table.

"You're doing a floor? I thought you did electrical stuff."

Natsu looked at her like she was crazy, "Electrical? What would make you think that?"

"Levy said that when she first recommended you for fixing the oven," Lucy said confused.

Natsu stared at her for a second than burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Now I understand why she keeps asking me to fix her stupid microwave. I can do electrical stuff, but it's not really my thing. Laxus is the electrical guy, it's like he has the magic touch with the stuff. I usually handle more of the woodworking sides of our jobs, floors, trim work, framing, that sort of thing. I've also built some furniture and done some inlays. What I really love is wood burning, I guess there's a part of that childhood pyromaniac that never died." Natsu grinned real big. "I swear if you're not a character in a book that girl doesn't pay any attention to you, well, except for metal face of course."

"Metal face?" asked Lucy.

"You know, Gajeel." Lucy looked at him dumbfounded, so Natsu continued. "He's big, crazy black long hair, piercings in his face. "

Lucy put her hand to her face thoughtfully. "Oooooh, yea, Levy calls him _the asshole._ "

"The asshole?" Natsu repeated back. "That seems harsh for Levy."

"Yes, umm well, she's not very happy with him," Lucy explained. She noticed the clock, "Oh no! I'm already running late!"

"No problem, I'll give you a ride." Natsu stood and pulled his keys out of his pocket.

"That would be great if you don't mind," said Lucy relieved he had offered. "Can you take me by the bank first? I have to drop off my deposits."

"Sure Luce, I can take you anywhere you need to go," he said grinning widely at her.

"Thanks Natsu," She smiled, grabbing her purse and heading towards the door. "It's going to be another long day."

He opened the passenger side door and helped her up into the cab. "I was serious about driving you home, just shoot me a text and I will be right over."

She smiled brightly, "You're a lifesaver, I really don't think I would have felt comfortable walking home after last night."

"Why do you have to work so late anyway?"

"I just have so many orders to fill, and with so many more people coming in during the day, it's hard to get all my baking done during the hours were open. I can only wake up so early." Lucy sighed, "I really need to hire someone but where would I find someone reliable to work for just the two weeks until Christmas?"

"I know somebody," Natsu offered as he climbed in his seat.

"Really?" Lucy was afraid to hope. A little help would make things so much easier.

"Yea! The old man has a neighbor named Wendy, she's home from college and told me she wished she had a little more spending money. She'd be perfect." Natsu started the engine. "I'll call her today and bring her by after I get home from work."

* * *

Lucy was starting to think she had found Natsu at the end of the rainbow, without him she didn't know how she would have made it this far! Wendy was so perfect she could kiss him! She was polite, and smart, and somehow extremely excited to work for not very much pay. Lucy couldn't wait for her to start. When he came back to pick her up this evening she would have a huge box of food for him, no two boxes of food for him. None of it seemed like it would be enough to thank him, but if she had asked Natsu she would have known, her smile had been enough.

* * *

It was the day before Christmas Eve and Natsu finally finished the job at Jenny's lake house. Her intricate wood flooring had a beautiful sun pattern in the middle of the room, the new trim and beadboard was a bright, crisp white, the walls completely repainted, and a brand new ventilation system in place thanks to Gray. They had just come over to do a quick walk through with the client.

She squealed with delight as if she hadn't been there every day, watching the process step by step, and threw herself in Natsu's arms. "The room is perfect! The decorators will be bringing all the furniture and décor in an hour. Thanks so much for getting this finished just in time, you are a life saver Natsu! Christmas will be perfect this year."

Natsu looked at Gray and rolled his eyes and, while Jenny's attention was diverted, his friend made a face and a crude gesture back at him. They would have been done with plenty of time to spare if she hadn't decided to change the floor when it was half way finished and picked a new color of paint three times. They were being paid well for her indecision, but sometimes it almost didn't feel worth it. Natsu peeled her arms from around his waist and attempted to put a little distance between them. Why did she have to always get so touchy feeling and enthusiastic when they finished a job.

"Okay then," he laughed nervously, "We're gonna get going. Just call Laxus if there's anything you need." Natsu started retreating towards the door.

"Yes! Of course! I think I have something else I need at the main house. I'll call him after the holiday." She said, following him to the door as if magnetized. "Merry Christmas Natsu!"

"Merry Christmas!" he yelled back, practically running to his truck. Gray hopped in the passenger seat, and they pulled away before he had his seat belt buckled. Natsu sighed in relief, never had he been so happy to be done with a job.

"That woman wants your nuts so bad, it's disgusting," Gray said.

"What? No way man!" Natsu sputtered.

"Yes she does, she was all over you!" Gray smirked at Natsu's discomfort.

"No, she's just not very good with personal boundaries, you know like how Bixlow is a close talker," Natsu defended.

"You are such an idiot! Did you see me get a hug? I didn't even get a Merry Christmas."

"Yea, I guess that's true," Natsu admitted, pondering Jenny's weird behavior. He was pretty sure she was married; it hadn't even occurred to him that she could be interested in him. "Or maybe it's just because you're a dick and she doesn't like you," he offered, although he was pretty sure she never hugged Laxus or Gajeel either, but they weren't exactly the most approachable looking guys either.

Gray laughed, "Maybe. It's not like I'm complaining, these jobs always make my wallet happy. Whatever you're doing that's so irresistible keep doing it, I need to get a new truck. So what are you doing now? Want to go get something to eat or something?"

"Well, I was going to stop over at the bakery . . ." Natsu scowled, he didn't really want Gray along for the ride, but he couldn't think of a way to get rid of him without having to deal with being hassled about his feelings for Lucy.

"That sounds good, she's got breakfast stuff right?" Gray asked

"Yea," Natsu huffed, his scowl deepening. It looked like he wasn't going to have a choice.

It ended up not mattering because Lucy's shop was packed. Wendy was practically running to fill the orders, while Lucy rang them up at the register and bagged. She looked up and grinned wide when he saw them walk in.

"Natsu!" She called out, "just grab a seat at one of the tables and I'll have Wendy bring over your usual."

"Can I get some for Gray too?" he asked, his friend giving Lucy a small wave.

"Of course!" she said cheerfully, "just let me deal with this rush first." She turned away from his and called number 47.

"Wow, no wonder you come here all the time. If I knew she looked like that, I would have been coming all the way here for _coffee_ as well," Gray said, blatantly staring at Lucy.

"Hey! Back off!" hissed Natsu before really thinking about what was coming out of his mouth.

"Getting a little territorial are we? Have you even asked her out yet?" teased Gray.

Natsu started to growl, and was considering dragging Gray outside to beat him to a bloody pulp, when he was interrupted by Wendy. She smiled sweetly and set down two coffees, two ham and cheese croissants, four muffins, and a fruit cup. Natsu looked at the fruit in front of him with a confused look, "What's this?"

"Lucy said you needed to have at least something healthy to go with all the bread and sugar you've been having. She doesn't want to give you a heart attack," Wendy explained in her sweet little voice. Then she took advantage of Natsu's astonishment to slip away quietly and return to helping Lucy with the customers. Natsu held it up and gave Lucy a quizzical look. She smiled at him and then mimed eating.

Gray laughed grabbing one of the croissants for himself. "Man, she's got you so whipped and you aren't even getting any."

Natsu used a plastic fork to shove a piece of melon in his mouth. He looked Gray right in the eye and said cheerfully, "Whatever Ice princess, I like fruit. It's nature's candy!"

* * *

The morning rush had been insane! Lucy set up Wendy with a few tasks in the back and hummed as she came to the front to make herself a coffee. She was so excited that she was going to have a moment to sit with Natsu and his friend, her feet could use a break. Then the bell rang at the front door announcing another customer had arrived. Lucy took a deep breath, trying to shake off her disappointment. She turned around with the biggest smile she could muster, but her face dropped when she saw who her new customer was.

"Hello princess," said Loke, pulling his shades from his eyes and giving her his brightest smile.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him, "Please don't call me that Loke, you know I don't like that nickname," she said tersely.

"That's all I get? I've finally found you after searching for months and I don't even get a hello?"

"I didn't ask you to look for me Loke; this isn't some kind of elaborate game of cat and mouse here. Is there anything I can get for you? Because otherwise it might be best if you just leave."

"Surely you don't mean that love!" Loke said, practically throwing himself at the counter to get closer to her.

She looked sadly at the man she used to care so deeply for. He looked so handsome in his business attire; he had probably just popped over from his office. Instead of it causing her to long for her past, looking at him made her think of someone else. How would Natsu look dressed like that? Probably dangerous, he just seemed too wild to be tamed with a suit and tie. Unable to stop herself she glanced over at her pink haired friend and noticed he was giving Loke a death glare. Natsu caught her looking and grinned embarrassed, then went back to eating his food. Was he jealous? She couldn't help but grin at the thought.

Unfortunately Loke took her little smile as an invitation and grabbed her hands, "Lucy how long are you going to let our past keep us apart? Can't you give me one more chance? Then you wouldn't have to waste away in this dump. Let me take care of you."

Lucy narrowed her eyes and was ready to lay into him when Natsu interrupted them by placing two empty mugs on the counter. "Hey Lucy, we're heading out."

His face looked so sad she wished she could reassure him somehow. Lucy was disappointed she missed all her time with him, especially for Loke. She had to make sure he would come back. "Natsu can you do me a favor?"

Natsu looked up at her, his face slightly relieved. "Sure Luce, anything you need."

She opened the register and pulled out a ten. Lucy handed over to Natsu and said, "I dropped one of the Lemon Chess pies I needed for an order tomorrow, and I am all out of lemons. Could you pick up some for me and bring them when you come back later tonight?" She smiled, feeling extremely proud of her little plan. He would have to come back sooner so that she could make the pie, giving her more time than just the all too short ride home.

"Of course," he said with a grin, though it seemed smaller than usual.

"Thanks for the coffee Lucy," called Gray and with a wave the two of them were gone.

She looked back to Loke who was studying her. "You have got to be kidding Lucy," he said, his expression showing his irritation.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she said, as she grabbed a rag and went over to wipe the table the two men had used. She was extremely busy and didn't have time for Loke's uninvited disapproval today.

"Your father would never approve," Loke continued.

For a moment this gave her pause. Thinking of her father made her heart hurt, but then his dig made her angry. He had no right to say that, he had no right to be here. "Well Loke, I'm quickly learning most of the time what my father wants for me is not necessarily what's best for me. It certainly isn't what is going to make me happiest." Lucy stood tall and turned to look him right in the eyes. "After all, we saw that with you now didn't we?"

Loke at least had the good sense to look remorseful, "You will never forgive my sins will you Lucy?"

"I have forgiven you Loke; I just don't love you anymore. I've moved on and you should too. I'm sure one of your many other _loves_ would be all too happy to take my place. Now if you aren't going to buy anything I have a lot of work to do. It would really be best if you left."

Loke pursed his lips, obviously frustrated but all he said was "Goodbye Lucy," He walked over and kissed her cheek, then put on his shades and disappeared out the front door.

* * *

Natsu sat parked in his truck, watching the suit leave the bakery, get into his Mercedes, and drive away.

Gray sighed, "Surely you aren't dumb enough to think Lucy is into this guy?"

"What am I supposed to think? His suit probably cost more than my entire closet! I couldn't afford that car even if I sold my soul! That's the kind of guy who could give her anything she wants, how do you compete with that?"

"Natsu, you are such a moron," groaned Gray.

Frustrated, Natsu turned it around on his dark haired friend. "What do you know about it? Here you are lecturing me but are you ever going to take Juvia out? Isn't she still blowing up your phone? Gajeel is starting to get pissed at you man, you can't ignore his cousin like that."

"No way! What would a hot hydraulic engineer want with an HVAC guy? It's just too weird. She's gotta be completely crazy, or she's slumming it. Either way I don't have time for that." Gray seemed to slump lower in his seat.

"Or maybe she's just dumb enough to like a pervy popsicle like you?" Natsu offered.

"She's not an idiot, flame brain!" yelled Gray.

"Well you are!" circled back Natsu, at this point they both sat grabbing each other by the collars, face to face, both high on the frustration of their own ridiculous doubts and desires for women they thought they couldn't have. After a few seconds of a staring contest they sat back in their respective corners, stewing in their own anger and self-loathing.

When they finally calmed down, Gray turned to Natsu, "Wanna go hit the bag? We can pretend it's the suit from the bakery."

Natsu chuckled and started the engine, "Yea, that sounds great." Hearing that Gray felt so similarly to himself made him feel a little bit better, not so alone. It also made him think that maybe he was being silly to feel so inadequate. He wondered what Lucy was doing for New Year's.

* * *

Levy's work day was almost over. She sat behind the register, face in a book, waiting for the clock to hit six and free her for a well-deserved long Christmas vacation. Levy would be closing the book store from Christmas Eve to the day after New Year's. She had promised Jet and Droy that she would come from Christmas dinner, but after that she was going to shut herself in her apartment with the only friends she needed right now, her books.

The bell rang and Levy looked at her watch. Of course someone would come in two minutes before closing. Not bothering to lift her head she called out "Let me know if you need any help!"

The customer headed towards her counter and stopped right in front of her. Levy couldn't help but sigh. She was annoyed that someone was here, she was annoyed she had to speak to said someone, and she was annoyed that all of this was interrupting the progress she was making in the book. This person had better make a big purchase. Levy slowly lowered her book and snapped "Yes? . . .Oh"

She stared, mouth open, at the very man who had put her in a terrible mood for the last two months. She was so flabbergasted she didn't know what to say. He looked lost too, so finally unable to bear the silence any longer Levy said the only thing that came to her, "Where the fuck have you been?"

Gajeel noticeably flinched, surprised at her swearing. Levy didn't typically use such crass language, but she felt the situation needed it. How could he just walk in as if he hadn't been avoiding her for two months? Levy set down her book and sat back, arms folded. He opened his mouth and then closed it tightly again. Apparently he was still unsure of what to say.

Levy sighed in irritation. "Let me lock the door real quick, it's after six." She felt his eyes follow her as she walked to the front door and turned the deadbolts. She stomped back to the counter, and began to put together her things. She turned and handed him the box of books she planned on reading over her time off. "You can help me get this home, but you had better say something before we get there Redfox."

He looked down at the box in his arms then back at her and nodded, tucking the box under his left arm. Gajeel didn't say a word as he followed her out the back door and waited patiently for her to lock it. They walked down to the street in silence, every second of quiet increasing her irritation. Just when she felt like she was about to explode he finally said, "Shorty, I fucked up."

"Damn right you did," she spat back.

"I never should have touched you like that . . ."he started.

"Stop," Levy interrupted.

"Stop what? Hell Levy, I'm trying to apologize," he scratched the back of his head showing his discomfort.

Levy turned to him, "You are so stupid!" she screamed. She was so mad! That night meant everything to her and once again he was finding a way to make her regret it. His shocked face just made her angrier. How could he not understand her feelings in this, how could he be so dense! She could have stopped him at any time, she had wanted it. Why did she care so much for this insensitive jerk! She began punching his chest over and over again, screaming "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

He grabbed one of her tiny fists with his free hand and said "Levy please stop."

"How can you treat me like this? Like I'm just some little tramp who can't resist your charm, like I had absolutely no say in the matter! You've turned that entire wonderful night into absolute shit and I hate you for it!"

His eyes widened "Wait, what?"

"You suck Gajeel! You suck! You know what give me those books." She snatched the box from his hands and stormed in the direction of his apartment. She got ten steps away when the bottom of the box broke open, dumping all of her books on the ground. It was just too much, exhausted and upset, Levy collapsed, sobbing into the pile of literature on the sidewalk.

Gajeel crouched down next to her and began silently rubbing her back. She sat back on her knees and looked up at him. He wiped a tear from her eye and pulled her into his arms.

"I know Shrimp, I suck. I'm the worst"

"The absolute worst," she chuckled reluctantly and pulled away from him, fighting the part of her that didn't want to let go, and began silently stacking the books that littered the cement. Gajeel picked up the stack, then he stood and held out a hand to help her up. They walked in silence the rest of the way. When the got to her apartment she opened the door and turned to take the books from him, not wanting to take a chance at letting him into her apartment.

"Gajeel I just don't know how to even be around you right now. You really hurt me and I . . .I just don't trust you anymore. I want to so bad, I just miss you so much, but I can't," Levy wiped a tear from her cheek.

Gajeel sighed, his face sad. "I know Shorty, I know." He rubbed his eyes and pulled his hands down his face. "Damnit, I never should have to . . ."

Levy covered his mouth, "No Gajeel, you never should have left like that. That's what I'm mad about you ass. You left like I was some dirty one night stand from the bar, like we weren't friends and we didn't care about each other. You never should have disappeared for _two months_! That really hurt. You should have picked up my calls and returned my texts. You should have talked to me. But you didn't. You blew me off as if I meant nothing to you and it killed me Gajeel!" He stared at her eyes wide, but said nothing. Disappointed Levy quietly said, "You should go, I'm really tired."

He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a gift, wrapped in newspaper. It was a box about the size of a hardback book; Levy wondered what it could be. "This isn't going to make up for anything I've done, but I made you this for Christmas," he said quietly. Levy took the box and stared at it. He gently kissed her on the cheek and then walked away. She stood in the hall watching, until he disappeared into the stairwell. Levy quietly walked back in her apartment and set the gift on the end table next to the chaise. Then she collapsed on the large chair, softly crying herself to sleep.


	5. Chili and Metal Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natsu learns the history of Lucy’s visitor. Levy finally opens Gajeel’s gift, can she forgive him? And a certain client just can’t get enough Natsu.

* * *

 

Natsu stood outside Lucy's door, a bag of lemons in his hand, and knocked. After a day with Gray over at Elman's boxing gym, all his tension over Lucy's mysterious visitor was gone. Also being able to beat Gray in a sparring match always put him in a good mood.

Lucy opened the door and her beautiful smile felt like warm summer sunshine despite the chill of the cold December night. It took all his self-control not to grab her, push her up against the display case and kiss her senseless. Instead he pushed those thoughts deep down inside and gave her a large grin, holding up his purchase, "I hope these will do."

"Perfect!" she said, taking the bag and moving aside to let him in. After she locked the door, she turned around to face him and looked slightly embarrassed, cheeks red; staring at the bag of lemons now in her hands. "Although, I have a small confession to make," she said quietly.

"Yea? What's that Lucy?" he asked.

She looked up at him and smiled sweetly, "I didn't actually drop a pie. I was just sad to miss our time together, so it was the first thing that I could think of to make sure you would have to come by a little bit earlier than usual."

"Oh," Natsu looked at her, eyes wide. She had wanted to see him; she wanted more time with him! He was afraid to move or say anything more, she just looked so adorable staring up at him and the way she was biting her lip was driving him crazy.

"Sorry, it was very silly of me. I shouldn't have sent you on an errand I didn't need," her cheeks reddened and she looked at her toes.

Natsu shook himself out of his stupor, realizing she was taking his silence as a sign that she did something wrong. He reached out and lifted her chin so that she would look at him and he gave her a grin, "Don't worry Luce, I really didn't mind. But you could have just asked me to come earlier. It's always fun spending time with you, I like being here."

She smiled again and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the back room. "You're the best Natsu, I'll remember that next time. Come on back! It's not really fancy but I have a couple bowls of chili and some cornbread for us to have for dinner. Chili's always so nice on these cold days don't you think?"

"Yea," Natsu agreed softly. He followed her to the back, enjoying the feeling of her small soft hand in his. He watched the way she walked and how her golden ponytail swayed with the motion of her body. He needed to get ahold of himself, she was going to think he was some kind of pervert, but he couldn't get his brain to go anywhere else.

She motioned for him to take a seat over on the stool she typically set out for him, near one of the lesser used stainless steel tables. Natsu was grateful for the distance she put between them. He sat and watched as she wandered over to the other side of a table and picked up one of the bags of colored chocolates she used to decorate her shortbreads. "I still have to get this order finished up real quick, but please don't worry about waiting for me. Go ahead and eat, tell me if you like it. I've started having a few soups for people to have for lunch here; I hope it will help bring in some people after the Christmas season is over."

"Alright then," Natsu welcomed the distraction of the delicious smelling bowl in front of him. He took a bite and said "this is so good Luce! I gonna get fat because of you," he grinned big, patting his flat stomach.

Lucy gave an unladylike snort, "Like that's even possible. If I ate everything you ate the last couple weeks I would have gain like ten pounds. I don't know where you put it all."

"Good genes I guess," he said, giving her a wink, picking up his spoon once more.

Lucy laughed, "Of course Natsu." She retied her bandana and washed her hands as she waited for her chocolate to reheat in the microwave. When it finished she quickly moved from cookie to cookie. Adding green to trees, wreaths, presents, and ornaments with graceful quick movements. It was like watching her dance, her body swaying ever so slightly, her brow furrowed in concentration. Natsu knew he had it bad if watching her decorate shortbreads was turning him on. He rubbed his face trying to stop the thoughts that polluted his brain. He looked up at the lemons on the counter and it brought him back to earlier that day. He couldn't help but ask "So who was that guy earlier today? He seemed to be bothering you." What he didn't add was _and it made me want to punch him in the face._

"Oh, that was just Loke." Lucy frowned and Natsu found himself regretting bringing it up. He preferred to be the one to make her smile. Lucy poured some red chocolate disks from a box below her table into a bag and threw it in the microwave. She turned to face him and played with her jacket. "His family is friends with mine so we've known each other since we were young. Also, we used to date in high school."

Natsu felt like he had been doused with cold water. Rich, a friend of the family, former boyfriend; what else could that prick have going for him?

Lucy's chocolate was finished. She pulled it out and pressed all over the bag to make sure all the bits and pieces were melted and smooth. She didn't look at him as she walked back over to her cookies, her face twisted in a look of anger. She cut off the end of the bag and went back to decorating the sheets of cutouts in front of her. It was such a long pause that Natsu thought that was all she was going to tell him. Then she suddenly added bitterly, "Everyone thought we would end up together, but let's just say he couldn't keep it in his pants." Flinching at the sharpness of her tone, Natsu looked up and studied her. Lucy's movements had become slightly more abrupt, less of the sway there was before. Loke must have really hurt her, it made Natsu feel so angry that he couldn't help but clench a fist.

Lucy sighed and continued, "Loke was two years ahead of me and went off to college. I came in one weekend to surprise him and I was the one surprised when he answered his door half naked with a girl searching for her clothes in his room. I found out from a friend that he had been doing that to me for years, I felt like such an idiot." Natsu thought Loke was the idiot to give up something that good. If Lucy would be his, he would never let her go. Now the man's behavior and Lucy's reactions from this morning made much more sense.

"I'll admit, I was weak and I thought I could forgive him. We got back together for a month during the summer after my first year of culinary school. We were out to lunch at a café one afternoon and this girl came out of nowhere and intimately covered his eyes asking 'Guess who?' He sent her away, adamantly claiming he hadn't seen her in almost a year and that now it was only me and would always be only me. Though he said that she was nothing to him, it had made me realize that I couldn't be with him. I just didn't trust him anymore and I don't think I ever will." She chuckled sadly, "It doesn't stop him from coming around every now and then, and trying to convince me to give him one more chance."

She looked so heartbreaking standing there that Natsu couldn't sit any longer. He walked towards her, when Lucy turned to him he pulled her into his arms. His heart gave a squeeze at the feeling of her hugging him back and burying her head into head chest. "He was the idiot, not you Luce." Natsu's body was screaming for him to do more but he restrained himself, knowing this wasn't the time or the place. He settled for resting his head gently on hers, but the smell of her was intoxicating. He pushed away gently, afraid to hold her any longer. She smiled up at him, completely unaware, and said, "Thanks Natsu."

He retreated back to his corner of the room. "Let's talk about happier things. What are you doing for your vacation?" he asked, knowing Lucy was planning to close for a week, just like Levy.

"Well, I'll be having dinner with my dad for Christmas. I'm not exactly excited about it, but I can't blow him off on the holidays. So it will be a pleasant evening of him insulting my life choices," she gave a weak smile. "Then I guess I'll spend the rest of the week writing and giving this place a good deep clean."

Natsu made a face as he sat back at his seat. "Well that doesn't sound very fun. "

Lucy smiled, but kept her eyes on her cookies, "The writing is fun for me. It's okay really; it will be nice to not have to get up at three anymore and to be able to stay up past ten for once."

"You should come to Mira's New Year's party with me," he ventured, hoping she couldn't tell how desperately he wanted her to say yes.

She looked up at him, her eyes sparkled as she said "I'd love to!"

Natsu smiled, "it's a date then."

* * *

Levy woke the next morning determined to have a great Christmas. She took a shower and tried not to think about Gajeel. She ate breakfast and tried not to think about Gajeel. She tidied the apartment and tried not to think about Gajeel. She wrapped her friends' presents and tried not to think about Gajeel. No matter what she did though, she couldn't help but think of Gajeel! After looking at his gift over and over again, she grabbed it and hid it in the oven. She was not going to let this get her down!

Levy was feeling pretty proud of herself when she looked in the mirror before heading over to Jet and Droy's. Despite her sadness, she looked great. That evening, dinner was wonderful as usual due to Droy's diligence in the kitchen, and the company was exactly what she needed. She couldn't remember the last time they had been together just the three of them. Droy's flower business was booming and he was now engaged. Jet had started dating a fellow marathoner and was coaching track at the high school along with running his sporting goods store. All three of them had come so far from the children they had been.

But eventually the night was over and she had to head home. She tossed her keys and bag on the counter and walked into the kitchen, turning on her kettle to make a cup of tea. Levy stared at the oven, curiosity starting to win over her pride. She opened the door and pulled out the newspaper wrapped package. She opened the card attached to the front. Written on a plain stationary card in sloppy handwriting it said "To my favorite shrimp. Merry Christmas. Gajeel."

She peeled open the paper and it revealed a plain white box. She pulled it open and inside found a 3D image created by different strips of metal and wire, bent and twisted. She held it out in front of her and it revealed a book with its page's open. Out of it grew trees and flowers and vines, all curled and contorted in a way that gave it a pleasingly aesthetic appeal. It was extremely detailed and beautiful; it must have taken him forever. It was all attached to a piece of steel in which he had engraved "A book is like a garden, carried in the pocket." She absolutely adored it! Levy pulled open a drawer and searched hurriedly for a nail. She went over to the wall near her chaise and unable to find anything else to use, picked up her cell phone and hammered the nail into the drywall. She hung his art work and stood back admiring it.

As if on cue, there was a knock at her door. She wandered over to the door, she wasn't expecting anyone tonight and it was already ten o'clock, hardly the time for unexpected visitors. She looked in the peephole and saw a large bush of black hair. Should she open the door for him? Had she summoned Gajeel by opening his gift? It was as if he hurried over when he heard her hang it on the wall!

Still feeling in a good mood from his thoughtful present, Levy opened the door. "Gajeel?"

"Hey Shorty, can I come in?" he asked.

"Sure," she said quietly, unable to think of a reason for him not to. She was too curious about what he would have to say, and she missed him so much that just the fact that he was trying seemed like enough of a motive to let him in. She moved aside so that he could get through the door.

He strode into her home with purpose then stopped suddenly when he saw his metal piece on the wall. "You opened it," he breathed out, so quietly Levy barely heard him.

"Umm . . . yea," she walked over so she stood right next to him. "I love it."

"Yea it's not great; I couldn't get that one flower right, it was really pissing me off," he started to walk towards it. "You know, maybe I should take it back and fix that."

Levy grabbed his arm, "Don't you dare! Are you hard of hearing? I said I love it. You leave that right where I put it, it's beautiful."

"Hmmph," Gajeel turned back to her, "If you say so shrimp."

"Gajeel why are you here?" Levy asked, tired of his stalling.

"I need to take back that apology," he said, scratching his head and looking at his boots.

"What?" Levy swore to herself that if he said something awful again about their night together she was going to kill him. She let go of his arm and crossed hers protectively across her chest.

"I've been thinking about our conversation and I tried to apologize the way I thought you wanted me to. Then after what you said yesterday I realized that wasn't what you wanted from me at all," he took a step closer to her. "So I'm _not_ sorry I touched you like that, I've been wanting to touch you like that since I first met you. I just never did anything because I thought a smart, pretty girl like you would never want to be dirtied from the hands of a dumb, metal head like me."

"You aren't dumb," she started.

"Shrimp let me finish," he held a finger to her lips and moved another step closer to her. "I'm sorry I touched you when I was too drunk to remember it all. I woke up next to you thinking you must have had too much to drink like me, or even worse, I forced you, and it killed me. I just felt so ashamed and guilty, and every time I saw you or heard your voice it was like I was getting flashbacks to the few pieces I have left of that night. "

He moved another step closer, so that he was standing practically on top of her. She looked straight up at him, unable to look away from his gaze. He spoke in a muted rumble now, "You see Shorty, I can't stop thinking about you. Your soft skin, your soft hair, your soft lips, I just want to bury myself in that softness and I worried if I was near you I wouldn't be able to stop myself." He gently cupped the sides of her face and bent so that his lips were right next to hers, "One word Levy, just one word from you and I'll leave. I'll disappear for you if you tell me to. But if, as I hope, you don't want me to go . . . . "

Levy stared up at him unable to say a word, completely frozen in the moment. Her mouth open and her crossed arms melting apart to her sides.

"Fuck, you don't know what you do to me. You're so damn beautiful," he growled and his mouth came crashing down on hers. He tasted of mint, this time not a bit of alcohol on his breath. She closed her eyes and focused on the feel of his firm lips on hers. He surprised her by suddenly nipping her lip and then sticking his tongue in her mouth. Unable to help herself, she reached up and grabbed the back of his shirt, tilting her head to give him better access. His hands slid down her body until they grabbed her butt. She squealed in surprise as she felt herself lifted in the air and pressed up against his chest.

"Gihihi," he laughed against her mouth, "Sorry Shorty, you're just so damn small."

Before she had a chance to respond he had her up against the wall near the door to her bedroom. His warm kisses trailing down her neck in a way that made her crazy. She wanted his mouth back on hers, but he had her trapped and she couldn't get access. "Gajeel," she whimpered in frustration.

"Shorty," Gajeel whispered into her hair. "I wanna take you to bed. I wanna do all the things I can't get out of my head. But I'm gonna warn ya, if you let me, I'm gonna wanna come back and do the same thing tomorrow and the next day and the next. If you let me bring you in there shrimp you'll never be rid of me."

Levy laughed, she felt so light and happy for the first time in months. With her arms finally free she grabbed his face and made her look up at him. "Just shut up and take me."

"Gihihi," he grinned and kissed her deeply on the mouth. "You're mine now Shorty" he said as he carried her into her room and kicked the door closed behind him.

* * *

It was the day after Christmas and Lucy was bored. She had spent the morning working on her novel, but after two hours straight of writing, she found she had hit major writers block. Lucy tried cleaning the house, then catching up on some shows, but inspiration had not returned. There was no way she was going to go clean at the bakery today, after spending around eighteen hours a day there for so long, she needed a few days off.

She decided she would see if Levy was up for hanging out. She hadn't seen her since their coffee the day before Christmas Eve. She picked up her phone and sent her a text, "want to do something today?"

Her phone pinged back, "Go away, Levy's busy."

Lucy read it a couple times, what the hell was that?

Her phone pinged again, "Sorry Luce, Gajeel's here. He's stupid. I'll see ya at the new years party k?"

Lucy grimaced. The New Year's party wasn't for another five days! She guessed that meant Gajeel and Levy were no longer fighting. She sighed and sat back on her couch. This was great news for Levy but not so good news for Lucy's time off. She stared at her phone and knew who she was going to text next. After all he had said he liked spending time with her right? Would it seem weird to text today if they had plans on New Year's? Bored out of her mind, she decided it was worth it. If he didn't want to see her before a date five days from now, then he wasn't worth her time anyway. She sent a text to Natsu and then threw her phone on the couch. Lucy was determined that she wasn't going to watch it waiting for a reply; she would do something else instead. She might want to see him, but it wasn't like she was obsessed or anything. She went to go clean out the fridge.

* * *

Natsu looked up at the large looming mansion then banged his head on the steering wheel. Why did Laxus say yes to that woman! It was the day after Christmas and Jenny had insisted she needed her closet redone. As usual, only Natsu would be capable of doing it right. He wouldn't have even come if Laxus hadn't threatened him bodily harm.

Before he wouldn't have thought twice about going to a job over here, but after what Gray had said on the last job Natsu had a revelation, this crazy woman was all over him every time she had a job. Not to mention she always insisted he be the one to plan it and most of the jobs involved the kind of work he specialized in. At this point he was pretty sure he had done all the floors in all three houses, changed out all the trim, redid most of the cabinets, hell he even built her a damn spiral stair case. And now she couldn't wait until after the holidays to have her closet looked at? It was just weird.

Natsu took a deep breath and headed to the front door. After he knocked, the door swung open and Jenny was standing there, dressed like she was going to a party. Her hair and makeup were perfect and her dress seemed way too fancy for the time of day and she was wearing extremely high heels. Natsu told himself that was probably just what wealthy women wore during the day. Of course; she wasn't dressing up for him, Gray was just getting in his head. He wondered if Lucy would have dressed like that if she was still with Loke right now.

Jenny led Natsu up to her bedroom and showed him which one of her three walk-in closets she wanted redone. "I'm so glad you were able to come out Natsu! Christmas was so good to me but there is no way my current closet setup is going to work. I want to fix up the big one; right now it just has hang bars. I would like if we could put in a wall of shoe shelves and then hang bars at different levels, and maybe some shelves for the sweaters."

Natsu walked into the space. It was larger than his bedroom! He tried not to look amazed as he pulled out a measuring tape. "That sounds great Jenny. I'll just take some measurements. Then I can draw up a couple of closet configurations for you to choose between."

"You're the best Natsu, I can always count on you," came Jenny's voice from the bedroom, "Can you believe my husband is already away on business! It's the day after Christmas and he goes back to work!"

You seem to have no problem making me work today, Natsu thought bitterly as he wrote down a measurement in the small notebook he kept in his back pocket. "Oh no, that's terrible!" he patronized, hoping he sounded a little bit convincing.

"It just makes me so mad you know, like I'm just supposed to wait around until Hibiki feels like playing husband again," Jenny's voice went on. "Well I'm not going to put up with it anymore. I have needs too!"

Natsu rolled his eyes; this was the craziest Jenny yet. He finished measuring the closet and put his tape and notebook back in his pocket, the pencil back behind his ear.

"Hey Jenny, I'm finished taking measurements," he said stepping into the bedroom. "I'll get back to you with some design options after New Year's. I hope that wo . . ." Natsu stopped talking when he looked up and saw Jenny on the bed, wearing a sexy lingerie.

"Let's show Hibiki what happens when he ignores me," Jenny said seductively.

"By redoing your closet?" Natsu asked, really hoping he was misinterpreting the situation. Maybe rich woman just liked wearing lingerie in the afternoon . . . when they had contractors over. He looked around the room thinking surely someone was messing with him. It was as if he had stepped into one of those movies he found in Makarov's basement as a teenager. Funny, he never thought these things happened in real life.

Jenny laughed flirtatiously, "Oh Natsu, you're so dense! I love it!" She changed position as if she was posing for spread in Maxim. Natsu puffed out his cheeked praying for something, anything to save him from this awkward situation. Then his phone alerted him that he had a text message.

Thank god! He thought. "Sorry Jenny, I just gotta check that." He pulled out a phone and saw a text from Lucy asking what he was up to. "Oh no! Gray's had an accident! I've got to go!" Natsu gave Jenny an awkward salute and ran out the door. "I'll send you the plans when I finish them!" he called back, ignoring her pleas to wait. He didn't slow his pace until he was in his truck and turning on the engine.

He drove around the block and pulled over on the side of the road. "Well that was awkward," he said to himself, breathing a sigh of relief. Laxus or Gajeel was going to have to finish that job, there was no way he was going back. He looked at Lucy's text again on the screen of his phone, a smile growing on his face. Then he typed back, "I'm up for doing whatever you want to Luce, you just saved my butt!" Without waiting for a reply, he pulled back on the road and headed towards Lucy's apartment.


	6. Angels and Pizza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not hearing back from Lucy, Natsu goes to check on her at her apartment. Gray turns his lunch date with Juvia into a group event, how much longer can she put up with him holding her at a distance?

* * *

 

Natsu scratched his head and looked at the clock one more time. It seemed odd that Lucy hadn't gotten back to him yet. Shouldn't she have seen his reply by now? Screw it; he was going to just go knock on her door. He was too hungry to just sit around and wait for her.

He walked up to her apartment on the second floor and lifted his hand to knock, then stopped to sniff the air. Was that smoke? He knocked on her door and waited for a moment. No response. He tried knocking again and calling her name. He was starting to get worried. Natsu was pretty sure the smoke smell was coming from her apartment. He figured he was going to have to bust down the door, but just to be sure he checked the door knob, Lucy would be pissed if he made a mess. He turned the knob and the door popped right open. Shaking his head at the idea that a girl who was mugged just two weeks ago would leave her front door open, he walked into the apartment and immediately started coughing and sputtering. "Geez, for a smart girl, Lucy sure is an idiot!" he said to himself as he hurried over to deal with the source of the fire.

* * *

Lucy was in heaven. The tub was full and bubbly, the water was the perfect temperature, her favorite music was blasting in her headphones, and the candle made the room smell like lavender. Finally a little bit of relaxation. Lucy was pretty sure that her phone had pinged a bit ago but she decided she would answer it when her bath was finished; didn't want to look too eager.

She was taping her toes on the tub along with the music when suddenly she felt a cool breeze. She turned her head to see Natsu's head poking in, his eyes wide in surprise. "Ooops, sorry!" He said, removing his head as quickly as he had put it in.

"Natsu!" Lucy screamed furiously, throwing a damp washcloth at the now closed door. That was when she smelled the smoke. Her relaxation ruined, she pulled the plug and clambered out of the bath, hurriedly throwing a towel around herself.

When she got in the living room, Natsu was relaxing on the couch messing with his phone. "What the hell Natsu? Why does it smell like smoke in here?"

"I should be asking you Luce." He grinned up at her, completely unfazed by her angry tone. "I'm not the one who likes to coat my oven in vegetable oil and then light it on fire so that I can have the right ambiance for bath time. It was smokey like that when I came here. You must have had a ton of gunk in that oven to start a fire that big!"

This deflated her anger a little bit. "My oven caught fire? But it was just self-cleaning! Maybe it was from the pumpkin pie I made for Christmas?" She began to drift into the kitchen.

"Yea, I'm starting to think you're some kinda weirdo perv Lucy. First you invite me to spend the night and you walk around in your underwear. Than you practically set fire to your apartment so I'll come see you in the bath . . ."

"I did not want you to see me in the bath!" Lucy snapped. She opened her oven "Oh no! It's ruined!" The oven looked completely charred on the inside.

"Nah, it'll come right off, we'll get some cleaner," Lucy jumped at the sound of his voice in her ear. Fighting a shudder, she turned and he was standing right behind her, a big goofy grin on his face. He was enjoying this just a little too much.

"Natsu, how did you get in my apartment?" Lucy asked, worried she would find her front door bashed to bits.

"You left the door unlocked. Which I meant to say something about, cause are you serious! You were just mugged like a block from here two weeks ago, why is your door open?" he scolded.

Lucy stared off pensively, "Oooh, I must have forgotten to throw the lock after taking out the trash." This really could have been a huge mess.

"Earth to Lucy," Natsu waved a hand in front of her face. "Look as much as I love seeing you walk around in a towel, could you go get some clothes on? I'm starving! Gray wants us to go meet him for some pizza; he doesn't want to be alone with Juvia."

Lucy snapped out of her daze and headed to the bedroom. "Sure, pizza sounds good and I need to get out this apartment, it smells terrible!" She closed the door behind her, not wanting to invite Natsu for yet another peep show. As she pulled a shirt over her head she called through the door, "Who's Juvia?"

"Gajeel's cousin, she's some type of engineer for the water treatment facility in town." Natsu's voice called back. "She's pretty cool, no clue why she's wasting time chasing after stripper boy, he's kind of a dick."

Lucy stepped out of the room, all dressed and feeling much more herself. She just barely caught the heated way Natsu looked at her from head to toe before he became very interested in a piece of junk mail she had left on the counter. His look made her feel flushed and hot, the sweater she had picked out now seeming like it might be too much for the day. She wondered how he could look at her like that, act so confident around her, and yet he still hadn't tried to kiss her. Was she just seeing what she wanted to see?

"He can't be that big of a dick if you hang out with him all the time," she said, trying to forget the small moment they just had. She walked towards him, happy when he looked back up at her with that toothy grin. "And what do you mean stripper boy?"

"I have to hang out with him, he's family! " Natsu explained. He chuckled as they headed towards the door, Natsu guiding her gently with his hand on the small of her back. "And about the stripping, you'll see what I mean at New Year's; he's got this hilarious bad habit when he's been drinking."

* * *

Juvia sat in her car feeling absolutely furious. When Gray agreed to have lunch with her, Juvia had assumed it would be just the two of them. As soon as she left her office to meet him, Juvia received a text saying Natsu and some girl Lucy would be joining them as well. Juvia had been irritated, but texted back, "Great! See you soon!"

It wasn't great. It wasn't that she minded Natsu, he might be a little silly and loud, but overall he was very nice. The problem was that Gray kept finding excuses to not be alone with her. He was so damn confusing! Most of the time it was as if his mouth said one thing and his body said another. Juvia did not understand why she put herself through all this, why did she have to feel so strongly about Gray!

Gajeel had told her she was stupid to care for such a jackass, that she deserved better, but all Juvia wanted was Gray. He was so handsome and smart. Every time he touched her it was like he shot a spark through her body, even if the touch was usually by accident. And when she would finally convince herself to move on, he would do something surprisingly sweet! Juvia tried going on a date with Lyon to forget Gray, but it was just like being with a poor substitute. An attempt at a relationship with him wouldn't be fair to either of them. Then when Gray had found out about the date he had been so furious that he and Lyon had a tussle in the parking lot. Thinking surely this was the moment he realized his feelings for her, she had gone to him after breaking it off, only to find him cold and distant as usual. Juvia was so perplexed!

Maybe today was the day; maybe she could make this the final straw. If Gray couldn't see how wonderful Juvia was then it was his loss. She would just drive off and forget about him. Would he miss her if she stopped calling? Would he even notice?

All of her resolve melted when Gray appeared, waiting by the front entrance of the pizza parlor. Smiling, she leapt from her car and yelled "Gray-sama! Hello!" only to have her coat catch in the door, bringing her run to a comical halt. He looked up, shook his head at her, and came to help dislodge it.

"Hey Juvia," he opened the door freeing her from her self-imposed trap. She wobbled slightly from the lack of pull and he caught her arm to keep her from falling over. Juvia just went with it, using this as an excuse to throw herself in his arms. His eyes went wide in surprise at her forceful hug.

"Thank you Gray-sama," she said softly. She was so glad to be near him, even if his response to her display of affection was an awkward pat on the back.

"No problem Juvia, let's get inside. Natsu is already in there and if we give him too much time he'll eat all the pizza in the joint." Gray started back towards the restaurant; Juvia locked her car and hurried to catch up with him.

She giggled, "Yes, Natsu is a bit of a glutton."

Yajima's pizza place smelled heavenly. It was fairly crowded but that was usual, it was a very popular place to get lunch in town. Gray grabbed her hand to weave through the patrons arriving at a table with a window near the back. Juvia was pleased to see Natsu sat next to who she assumed was Lucy, leaving her the seat next to Gray.

"Juvia, this is Lucy. She has a bakery over in the Magnolia Center." Gray said as he went to take the seat next to the window.

Juvia took the seat next to him, "It's so nice to meet you Lucy."

Lucy looked up with a smile, "It's nice to meet you too Juvia!"

"You took so damn long getting in here that I already ordered ice tits," Natsu sat back with a scowl on his face.

"So sorry we made you wait a minute longer to stuff your face," Gray rolled his eyes.

"Did Lucy have a nice Christmas?" asked Juvia in an attempt to change the subject. Gray sat back in his seat and threw his arm on the back of Juvia's.

"Yes, well enough. I made a lot of sales at the bakery; it's going to make it a lot easier going into the New Year." Lucy said pleasantly.

"Juvia must come by then; Gray-sama said it's at the Magnolia Center?" Juvia asked. She looked over to see his affirmation, but he was staring off at nothing out the window. Gray had started absentmindedly playing with her hair with the hand that rested on the back of her chair; she wondered if he even realized what he was doing it.

"Yes, next to Levy's bookstore," Lucy interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh yes! Juvia loves Levy's little store. Gajeel has taken me many times," said Juvia.

Bixlow came over to the table with two massive piping hot pizzas. He set them down on the table with four plates.

"Out to lunch with your beautiful babies huh?" he said pulling out a pad to get Juvia and Gray's drink order.

"You know it," Natsu confidently replied, giving Lucy a quick squeeze around the shoulder and then digging into the pizza in front of him. Lucy's cheeks flushed red but she didn't say a word. Juvia felt relieved, taking this to mean she wouldn't have to worry about Lucy being a love rival. That would make it easier to be friends.

Gray was pulled from his stupor by Bixlow's remark. Realizing what he had been doing behind her seat he pulled his hand back as if burned. "Don't be stupid Bixlow, Juvia isn't my _baby,"_ he said grumpily.

Bixlow rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say Gray, what I can get you guys to drink?"

After Bixlow left, Juvia couldn't help but be disappointed by Gray's comment. Why did he have to say anything at all? Bixlow was just teasing really, and Gray became so defensive. She didn't have long to dwell on it though because the boys were getting restless.

"Don't drool all over all of the pizza flame turd, that's supposed to be enough for four people you know," Gray criticized Natsu.

Natsu looked up at the challenge, halfway through his second slice already. "You're not the boss of me ice nuts, I do what I want!"

Recognizing what was starting, Juvia quickly moved the pizza in front of her and Lucy to the table next to them.

"You wanna go fire crotch!" Both boys were standing now.

"Are they always like this?" Lucy whispered from her side of the table.

Juvia rolled her eyes but smiled, "Yes, Natsu and Gray-sama are always getting rowdy. Juvia doesn't understand why they enjoy each other's company so much when all they do is fight."

Lucy got a mischievous look in her eye, "Why don't we just leave them alone to their lover's spat?" Juvia looked at the guys, Natsu now had Gray in a headlock across the table and Gray was trying to give him a purple nerple.

"Yes," she said "Juvia thinks that would be prudent."

Lucy smiled big and whispered "Come on." The two of them picked up their plates and the pizza that hadn't been knocked on the table and went to a booth on the other side of the restaurant. The boys continued their fight, completely unaware that they were now alone.

Bixlow brought back their drinks, left Gray's on his table and brought Juvia hers with a wink. "Very smart, much quieter over here, those numbnuts don't get what their missing. Let me know if you lovely ladies need anything else!" he called over his shoulder as he walked back to the kitchen.

"This is much better, we can watch them be idiots without getting pizza in our hair," Lucy smiled as she took a big bite of her pizza. Gray now had Natsu's head on the table and he was shoving a slice in his mouth while Natsu punched him in the head.

"How has Lucy been liking the area so far?" said Juvia, deciding she liked the blond very much.

"A lot! Everyone has been so nice. Although I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to get out much. Hopefully with the holidays over I can at least get over to Mira's every now and then again."

"You should let Juvia know when you go! Juvia would love to meet up with Lucy," they were in the process of exchanging numbers when Natsu and Gray finally realized they had been ditched. Gray left his stuff behind and headed towards them, while Natsu put every last piece of the smashed pizza on his plate and quickly followed after.

Gray sat next to Juvia using his hip to bump her a little bit further into the booth so that he had room. "Why did you leave?" he asked, placing his arm back behind her head on the booth.

Natsu set his plate of pizza mess on the table. He saw that Lucy had scooted to make room for him, but instead of sitting, he opted for lying down on the booth and placing his head in her lap. "Yea, why did you leave me alone with frosty nips over there Lucy," he whined.

Lucy laughed "Maybe we didn't want to be pulled into the fray." She made a face and picked a piece of tomato out of Natsu's hair, "Or get covered in pizza."

"It's not so bad Luce," said Natsu putting a piece of cheese on her face.

"Natsu!" Lucy spat. Natsu dashed out of the booth and Lucy chased him around the restaurant.

"Look at them acting like children," Gray said, picking up a new slice.

"Gray-sama is one to talk," said Juvia snappily, making Gray choke on his pizza.

He got a hold of himself and drank a sip of water, looking at her eyes wide he said "What?"

Juvia blushed, worried that in speaking without thinking she had made him mad. "Well I, umm, what Juvia meant is . . .the fighting . . ." Juvia covered her face with her hands, completely at a loss on how to explain herself. Maybe Lucy had been a bad influence, she never would have thought to tease Gray like that before. "Oh Gray-sama, Juvia is so sorry."

Gray laughed, pulling her hands from her face so that he could look her in the eye. "Nah, I deserved it."

Natsu and Lucy popped back in their booth, their faces flushed and smiling. Juvia felt slightly jealous of their ease with each other. Juvia had known Gray for at least three months longer than Lucy had known Natsu. Then again Natsu wore his heart on his sleeve and rarely hid what he was thinking. Gray was much more reserved, like a puzzle to be solved. Juvia had always liked that about him. Today he seemed a little bit different; he had gone back to facing forward but continued to hold one of her hands, gently rubbing her palm with his thumb. She looked down at their hands with a grin, and that was when she noticed the time.

"Oh, Juvia must get back to work. Juvia's break is almost over!" she exclaimed.

Gray slide out of the booth and stood looking at her, "I'll walk you to the car."

"Thank you Gray-sama!" Juvia said, sliding out.

She started to pull her wallet from her purse but Gray stopped her. "Don't worry bout it Juvia, I got it."

"Bye Juvia!" said Natsu with a grin.

"It was very nice meeting you!" added Lucy.

Gray opened her door to let her in her car; he stood there looking down on her a slight grin on his face. "Are you going to Mira's for New Year's?"

"Yes, will Gray-sama be there?" Juvia asked.

"Yea . . .umm," he started to say something else but was distracted by the sight of Natsu helping Lucy up into his truck.

"Don't worry Gray! I told Bixlow that you'll be covering the bill!" Natsu yelled with a laugh, hopping into his truck.

"Why that little . . ."Gray was furious, but he looked down at Juvia with a grin saying "I'll see ya there Juvia, thanks for having lunch with me." After gently closing her car door, he sprinted towards his friend shouting "Don't you dare leave, you flaming piece of shit!"

Juvia smiled. Oh, she hoped this meant this would be a Happy New Years!

* * *

"And then she told me we'd show her husband and I asked by making a closet?" Natsu related his morning to Lucy as they drove back to his place.

"Oh my god you didn't!" Lucy doubled over with laughter.

"I didn't know what to say! It was so awkward!" Natsu made a grimace. "I mean seriously what was she thinking!"

"Maybe she just couldn't resist your charm" teased Lucy, tickling below his ear.

Natsu playfully smacked her hand away and giving her a stern look, he said in a serious tone "Don't distract the driver Lucy, it's not safe."

"Really?" Lucy started to tickle his stomach. Natsu laughed, but her innocent playing was starting to make him feel anything but. She had to stop touching him like that or things were going to start getting very uncomfortable. He quickly swerved the car; Lucy squeaked and stopped tickling him in order to hold on to her seat. "Natsu!"

"See I told you not to distract the driver," Natsu grinned, pleased that his plan had given him a slight reprieve.

They pulled into his driveway and twisted through the woods until the came out into a clearing. Lucy sat up on her seat to get a better look. "Wow Natsu, it's so pretty here!"

It made Natsu so happy that she could appreciate this place. He had been worried that after what she had grown up with she wouldn't be able to understand its simple beauty. The property was still definitely a fixer upper, even after the months of work he had put into it. "I know, it's my own little escape. The house is kinda a dump but that's not why I bought the property anyway." They drove a little bit further up, revealing the tiny house that had been hidden behind the hill and, behind it, the massive garage that was four times its size.

"Why is the garage so much bigger than the house?" asked Lucy.

"The former owner was obsessed with cars or something, took me forever to clean all the random parts and pieces up from around the yard." He parked in front of the garage, hopped out, and ran over to help Lucy down from her seat. "Wait until you see the inside, it's the first place I fixed up here."

Natsu led her in through the side door and flicked on the light. This was a place he was proud of. He remembered the first time he saw this place, a large metal building with a concrete floor, full of scraps of metal and leftover trash. Even then he could tell it was perfect. Now he had it outfitted with massive woodworking tools, a cabinet saw, lathe, band saw and planer. On the wall hung tons of small hand tools and clamps, every single space utilized with a hook or shelf for storage. He had a whole wall to store his different kinds of wood and veneer; tables set up for finish work and smaller projects. It had a powder room and a fridge so he wouldn't have to leave, unless it was time to sleep. It had great lighting, an expensive ventilation system, and the heat and air in here was better than it was in the house. It even had a pretty good sound system. Really, he was lucky he showed Lucy this place before his actual home, or else she would have thought he was a complete slob. This was where he really lived, this is what he cared about.

"Wow Natsu, this is amazing!" Lucy wandered around, slowly taking it all in. "Now I see why you thought it was so hilarious that Levy thought you were the electricity guy. Has she ever seen this place?"

Natsu thought for a second, "No, I don't think so. Really I don't bring many people over here. Gajeel, Gray, and Laxus have seen it because sometimes we use it for jobs. Laxus helped me buy a few of the larger tools in return for them being able to use the shop whenever they needed it."

"Are these your wood burning pieces?" Lucy had walked over to the far corner of the garage where he had racks of finished pieces on the wall, a nice study table and his burning tools and tips.

"Yea," he said, suddenly wondering if he really wanted her to look at them. What if she didn't like them? That would kill him. He slowly sauntered towards her as she clicked through the pieces in the smallest rack, trying desperately to hide the anxiety he was feeling about her being here in his space, looking at his art. Natsu needed to see her face, her expression; even if he was afraid it wasn't what he wanted.

"Lots of dragons hmm?" her hair covering what she thought of them.

"Yea, I really like them," he said quietly. He finally stood near her, leaning against the wall. Natsu was relieved to see her mouth curved up in a small smile.

"These are amazing Natsu," she breathed out, looking up at him, her eyes shining, her smile wide. "Do you sell them?"

"Umm, sometimes, I just find most people seem to think they are worth the same as some machine printed crap from Walmart. There's not a lot of money in the wood burning stuff, I sell more of the furniture and like small boxes and things," he explained. "Would you like one? Just pick one; you can have whatever you like."

She looked up at him again; "Really?" he nodded. "Thanks Natsu!" She returned to looking through the wooden pieces. "Oooh, is this an angel?" She held up a piece of bass wood, on it he had burned an angel, standing beneath a cherry blossom tree, her hair whirling in the wind.

Natsu froze. Crap, he had forgotten about that one. He had made it during the week he hadn't been able to see her, unable to get her out of his head. Every night he had added just a little bit more, her wings, the tree, until he couldn't look at it anymore because he missed her so bad. Did she realize it was her beneath the tree?

"Yea," he said staring at her, trying to gauge her reaction to it.

She looked back down at it. "She's beautiful" she said.

"Yea, she is," he said, still looking at her and not at the burning. Seeing her in that moment, he didn't doubt himself anymore. Here she was in his home, in his safe place, and she was in awe of it. She hadn't scorned his rundown property, or teased him for his hobbies. He didn't know why he had been so insecure about where he could stand with her. Natsu's feelings of desire for her were overwhelming, practically suffocating, and he no longer understood why he was holding back.

Natsu closed the distance between him and Lucy, taking the angel out of her hand and placing it on a nearby table. Then before she could get a word out to ask him what he was doing, he kissed her, cradling the back of her head with one hand and using the other to pull her close to him by the small of her back. She immediately kissed him back, throwing her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair. He felt like he had been starving for her, he couldn't get enough, as his kisses became deeper and he held her even tighter. Her hands went from gentle playing to pulling, moving down to his shirt as if trying to tear it apart. She gave a small moan and it drove him crazy. Unable to help himself, he pushed her up against a table, grabbed her rear and lifted her up on it. She wrapped her legs around him, not missing a beat, throwing her head back with a sigh as he moved to pay attention to her neck, kissing and sucking his way down to her chest. And then his phone rang.

He pulled it out and tried to silence it without looking, his face now buried in her throat again, growling at the distraction. He finally got it to stop, only to have it start up again. Lucy giggled. "Aren't you going to even look at who it is," she asked.

Natsu pulled away from her, giving her a frustrated look. He sighed and turned it over. "It's just Laxus," he said, silencing the phone again. He returned to kissing her, this time more gently on the lips when the phone rang yet again. Natsu threw his head back and groaned. Lucy laughed lightly and hugged him, resting her chin on his shoulder.

He picked up the phone and practically yelled, "What?"

"You know, I'm really getting tired of you answering the phone like this," Laxus replied.

"Well, I'm really getting tired of you calling at the worst possible times," Natsu snapped back.

Laxus sighed, "Look Natsu, I wouldn't be calling you if I didn't have to, but Gajeel is not picking up his phone and he was supposed to help me the next two days so I could get this job done before the end up the year. That bastard is picking the worst fucking time to disappear on me. I'd ask Gray, since I know you need a break after her majesty's last job, but he's still finishing up putting in the new air system at the community center. So could you get the sand out of your vagina and just help me out for once?" Lucy giggled into his shoulder, obviously hearing Laxus's side of the communication. Natsu rubbed his face in irritation. She moved away from him and slide off the table, going back to looking through his wood burnings. He immediately felt cold, missing her presence. He wanted to throw the phone across the room.

"Fine, when and where do you need me?" he was going to murder Gajeel.

After he finished getting instructions from Laxus, he turned off the phone and shoved it in his pocket. He looked up at Lucy who was looking at him and smiling sweetly.'

"What do you want to do now?" he asked, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, feeling a little embarrassed about his behavior.

Then she asked the one question that could make him love her more, "Are you hungry?"

He grinned real big and answered, "Always!"

"Take me to the grocery store and then take me home. We can get that oven cleaned up and I'll cook you some dinner." She smiled back.

"Perfect," he said with a grin, all awkwardness forgotten.

They started to head for the door, when she paused and ran back to the table near the burnings. "I'm taking my angel." She said grabbing the wooden circle.

"Of course," he smiled, feeling like the luckiest man in the world.

* * *

Lucy waved as Natsu went down the hall to the stairwell, part of her wishing she was just a little more adventurous and had invited him to stay the night. She closed the door and rested against it for a moment with a smile. While Lucy was very sad that she wouldn't see Natsu until the New Year's Eve party, she knew that there was a bakery screaming for a deep clean. It wouldn't be hard to stay busy. She touched her lips, still feeling his, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

She was sure if Laxus hadn't of called she would have let Natsu have her right there, right then. Not caring that it was a garage, or that she was on a table, or that she had only managed to finish shaving one leg during her bath earlier that day. Thank goodness the phone rang, who knows what he would have thought of her, but something about the way he kissed her turned her world on its head. It had never felt like that with Loke, and certainly not with the few guys she had dated in between. There was a spark, an excitement that she had never experienced before. She sighed again and went to get ready for bed; New Year's was going to be fantastic!


	7. Happy New Year's!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone gets together to celebrate the new year

* * *

 

"What do you think?" asked Lucy, coming out of her room in a slinky metallic red dress with tall black heels.

Cana rolled her eyes and took a sip of her beer before answering, "Hot, just like the last four. Lucy what are you trying so hard for? It's just Natsu; he wouldn't know the difference between that dress and a parka."

"Well which one would you wear then? I just can't decide!" Lucy was so nervous. She had not been able to see Natsu since the she had sent him home the day they kissed. He and Laxus had been working so hard to finish in time that all she received from him was a text here or there. She couldn't wait to see him again, but what if it was awkward? What if he regretted it?

"I still think you should just wear the jeans with the sexy top, it's freezing outside and it makes your rack look great," Cana winked.

"Aww, but that's not as much fun as the dresses, I don't have many opportunities to wear these anymore," Lucy frowned, looking down at her adorable outfit. It was snowing outside and absolutely frigid. It was awful when she left the bakery at noon after finally finishing scrubbing every nook and cranny of the place, and now that the sun was down it was bound to be even worse. These heels in the snow would be miserable too, but really wasn't it worth it?

There was a knock at the door. Cana got up to open it, and before Lucy had a chance to run back to the bedroom, Natsu stepped in. He was as dressed up as he got, still in boots, but his jeans were clean with a button up on beneath his scarf and coat. He looked up at Lucy and his mouth dropped, making her think she was right in picking this dress for tonight, weather be damned. But then he raised his eyebrow questioningly, "You look great Lucy, but won't you be cold in that?"

"Oh for the love of god!" She said, throwing her hands in the air exasperated. She stomped back in her room to change once again.

Cana doubled over in laughter as Natsu looked at her confused and asked, "What did I say?"

Cana put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, "Nothing Tiger, but you did prove me right!" She gave him a hug hello and whispered in his ear, "Make sure you tell her that her tits look great too."

Natsu rolled his eyes and shoved her away. "Geez Cana, I think you've already had too much!" and he headed towards Lucy's room to attempt to find out what was bothering her.

"So you're saying they don't look good?" called Cana after him.

He flicked her off over his shoulder and said "I didn't say that," not bothering to look at her snickering face.

Lucy huffily put back on the sexy silver top with the tight dark jeans, zipping up her high heeled boots and throwing on a scarf and her cutest winter coat. She struggled to tie the belt to it as she walked out of her room; her hands were shaking and clumsy either from frustration or nerves. Distracted by her fumbling, Lucy bumped right into Natsu. He gently grabbed her hands and after moving them to her sides, he helped pull the tie tight. She looked up at him surprised and he smiled. Chuckling at her, he gently kissed her on the lips. "You didn't have to change Lucy, you looked amazing! Really, you look great no matter what you wear. I just worried 'cause it's like 10 degrees out there."

Cana made a loud wolf whistle. Natsu and Lucy both turned to her irritated looks, annoyed that she had ruined the moment. She laughed and tossed her bottle in the nearby trash. "If you guys are gonna tear each other's clothes off, could you please drop me off at the party first, I'm out of booze here!"

Lucy laughed as Natsu got flustered and red, "Oi Cana, why are you always so annoying!" He grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her to the front door. She grabbed her purse off the couch on the way.

Cana walked up behind Lucy, "Hey Natsu, you almost forgot." She opened her eyes wide and pointed to Lucy's breasts. Cana quickly pulled her hands away before Lucy could see what she was doing.

"One more word Cana! Just one more word and you won't be getting a ride home with me! You can walk home in this shit for all I care." Natsu dragged a giggling Lucy out the front door towards the warm, running car. Cana followed behind laughing, extremely amused by Natsu's blushing face.

* * *

At first, Gajeel had tried being his regular self, stating that he would not be attending the party. Then Levy had looked up at him with her honey brown eyes and asked, "You're really going to make me go on my own? Who am I going to kiss at New Year's then?" Which had made him realize a flaw in his plan, he didn't want anyone else to even consider touching Levy. And for some reason New Year's Eve made every asshole think it was open season on every unattended woman at the bar. There was no way in hell Levy was going by herself.

Then he had tried telling her it was stupid and that they shouldn't go. Why go waste time with those idiots when they could have just as much fun here alone? But Levy was adamant, "We've spent all week alone Gajeel, I want to see my friends!"

That afternoon he had tried to drag her back to bed with insistent kisses and she had just batted him off saying "Gajeel I have to get ready for the party and Juvia will be waiting for us, remember you promised to give her a ride?"

While she got ready, he had sat on the couch and glowered, he absolutely fucked. All week long he had blown off work, not wanting to miss a second with her. He had turned off his phone after the third call from Laxus and never turned it back on. So how was he supposed to just turn up, out of the blue, at a party where all of his coworkers would be? He couldn't admit his issue to Levy, she'd be absolutely livid and it would put a dampener on the amazing time they had.

So now he found himself, shuffling in the freezing snow to his execution. The two excitedly chatting, blue-haired women in front of him completely ignored his sullen behavior as they practically skipped into the bar.

Gajeel took the girl's coats, and took his time following them all the way in. Fairy Tail tavern was a shit show as usual. Mira's brother Elfman helped man the bar, while Mira and Kinana ran from person to person, probably serving drinks with twice the recommended liquor content. Gajeel looked around for the source of his future demise but only saw his band the Thunder Gods drinking at the bar. Could he dare to hope that Laxus was going to skip out on the festivities?

Cana sat in a corner, contently sipping on a pitcher, happily watching Natsu and Gray wrestle like idiots. Of course Gray was already stripped to his underwear. Juvia began tugging Levy and Gajeel in that direction. "Oh look it's Gray-sama! Juvia wants to go say hello."

Gajeel couldn't help but sigh. He really didn't understand why his beautiful, intelligent cousin could be so obsessed with that tiny, emotionally stunted nudist. Her affection for his friend was almost embarrassing. "I don't think you need to address him so formally ya know. You don't even address your boss like that. And for god's sake Juvia, he's in his damn underwear."

"Gray-sama is just comfortable in his body, it's one of the many things that makes Juvia love him so," Juvia sighed and brought her hands to her face, looking at Gray with a far off look in her eye. She was a lost cause. Gajeel felt a light pat on his arm; he looked over to see Levy smiling up at him. It was so nice to have someone understand his pain.

A blond cheerleader looking girl arrived, fresh from the bar with two drinks. She set them down on a nearby table and practically threw herself at Levy. Levy hugged the blondie like they hadn't seen each other in years. _It's only been a damn week,_ Gajeel thought huffily to himself.

The blond girl turned to him and said "Hi Gajeel, nice to see you again!" What was her name again? He always called her bunny girl because the first time he saw her she had been wearing this large bow that looked like ears, and she literally hopped away from him, like a frightened rabbit. But he couldn't call her that here, Levy would be mad if he called her that. He kept trying to think of her name but all that came to him was Bunny Girl, Bunny Girl, Bunny Girl.

Levy turned and seemed to notice his confusion. "Isn't it great that Lucy is here? I haven't seen her all week!"

"Yea, hey Lucy," thank god for Levy, he could just kiss her. A thought that only made him pissed off all over again that he was at this stupid party and not home alone with her. She went back to discussing who knows what with bunny girl and Gajeel just got lost in watching her excited facial expressions. How could she be so adorable, and why did that make him want her so bad? He couldn't help but sigh, this was going to be a long night.

He was torn from his musings by a fist to his face. "Where the fuck have you been all week metal face?"

Shit, Laxus. "Hey to you too," Gajeel rubbed his jaw. He decided ignoring the question would be the best way to deal with it. Unfortunately, an unimpressed Laxus just crossed his arms and stared bullets at him.

Gajeel swallowed deeply; there wasn't really anything to say. He scratched the back of his head. "Well, you see man. I . . ." What the hell could he tell him? A tiny shrimp let me in her bed and I didn't want to leave? He really didn't think that would be enough. Laxus was going to make him hate his life.

Mira stopped by just in time and patted Laxus on the shoulder, holding her tray out to him so he could take his drink. "Now Laxus, it is New Year's. Why don't you just relax and have a little fun for once?"

"Well this fucker . . ." Laxus started to explain.

Mira's face turned to something from a horror movie, "Do I need to say it again?"

"Jeez, chill out Mirajane," Laxus put his arm around Gajeel's shoulder and gave her a cheesy grin. "See all's well!" Mira smiled a sweet smile again and walked away. "Shit, sometimes that woman terrifies me" whispered Laxus, taking a sip of his beer.

Gajeel grunted in agreement.

"Hey!" Natsu came over putting his arm over Gajeel's shoulder. "Where were you all this week numb nuts?"

By some sixth sense, all three men looked over at the bar where Mira sat glaring at them. She slowly lifted her finger and pointed at them, mouthing "have fun" in the least fun way possible. Then she put her finger to her neck and mimed slicing it open. Her face went back to a smile quickly, as if they had imagined the whole thing.

Natsu dropped away from Gajeel with a grimace, "so scary," he breathed out, but in a second he was back to his cheerful self. "No worries, we got it done. More cash in my pocket right?" Gajeel looked down at him confused. Wasn't this the same Natsu who, just last week, hit him with a 2x4 for eating his sandwich?

"You're a lucky bastard Gajeel," Laxus waved and headed over to the part of the bar where Bixlow, Evergreen and Freed sat. Gajeel breathed a sigh of relief and flagged down Kinana who was waitressing that evening. If he was going to get through this night, he was going to need a drink.

* * *

Lucy was having a great time, she was so glad she had somehow found her way into this tight knit group. Natsu had found a way to stay by her for most of the night, except for the fight with Gray when she had left him for a minute to get them something to drink. At the moment his discussion with Gray, Gajeel, and Elfman was starting to make her eyes glaze over, she just really wasn't all that interested in what happened at an MMA fight two weeks ago. She politely excused herself and went to the ladies room.

On her way there Cana attempted to flag her down. "Blondie," she slurred, "we're playing asshole, you in?" Erza, Levy, and Juvia all sat with her at the table in the corner.

She didn't want to admit that she had no idea what that was, she had lived a little bit of a sheltered youth. Lucy also thought, from what she'd learned of Cana over the last couple months, playing her in a game that involved drinking and cards was probably not a good idea. Not to mention, Erza already had a terrifying competitive glint in her eyes. Lucy politely declined. "Sorry Cana, not right now. Maybe later?" and continued into the ladies room.

After adjusting her top and her makeup in the mirror, Lucy was ready to head back to Natsu. She fixed her hair one last time and thought _Cana's right, I do look fantastic in this top!_ She hoped they had changed topics by now, especially since all the girls seemed to be playing a game Lucy had no business being in.

She left the bathroom with a huge smile on her face, but one glance at Natsu and it was gone. His back was to her so she couldn't see his face, but she could see the face of the skank hanging all over him. The woman was wearing an outfit very similar to the one Lucy had put back in the closet, only her dress was blue and Lucy was sure she looked ten times better in it than Lucy ever could. This woman looked like she had been peeled from the page of a magazine. The flirt tossed her hair, said something coquettish in Natsu's ear with a little grin, and Lucy felt her world spin. How was this happening again? She could almost imagine Loke's orange hair on Natsu's head. Fuming, Lucy spun around. "Cana! Deal me in!"

* * *

Unfortunately, Lucy had picked the worst time to stop watching, because at that moment Natsu took a large step away from the desperate housewife who had attached herself to his side like a leech from the moment she stepped in the door. He had been so surprised at her presence that he didn't even have time to escape before she had grabbed his arm and whispered "you look sexy tonight Natsu."

"Jenny what are you doing here?" Natsu asked, not even trying to hide the irritation in his voice.

Jenny looked around; as if she thought the guys standing with them would find Natsu's reaction as odd as she did. Gray, Gajeel, and Elfman suddenly became very uncomfortable, all excusing themselves at the same time.

"Umm, I think I left my pants somewhere?"

"I need to go get another drink."

"A real man would help you get that drink!"

Frustrated that no one came to her aid, Jenny turned back to Natsu and pouted. "What do you mean why am I here? It's New Year's, am I not allowed to go out on New Year's?"

"I didn't say that Jenny, I wanted to know why you were here. As in, here at the bar I'm at," he looked around, "without any of your friends or husband. It's just a little bit weird."

Jenny crossed her arms. "Well maybe I just wanted to come see you, is that so wrong?"

Natsu looked at her like she was crazy. "Yes! I would say definitely yes! I just do your floors Jenny; I wouldn't even really consider us all that close of acquaintances! People don't spend New Year's with their contractor; they spend it with their friends and families." Her lip started to quiver, but Natsu didn't lose his resolve. He was going to have to stop this behavior now. "Jenny I am flattered, but I am _not_ interested. I'm with someone, and I care a good deal about her. I mean seriously Jenny, is this the usual type place you would spend New Year's?"

"No, not really," she said quietly.

"Exactly, you should be at one of those fancy places having dinner or a party on some boat. Not in a dive bar in Magnolia."

"I guess so," she admitted.

"So where's Hibiki then, why aren't you with him right now?" Natsu asked.

"He didn't want to go out, he just got back this morning and he said he was tired," Jenny pouted again.

Natsu ran a frustrated hand down his face. "God Jenny, you can't use me to get back at him. I don't want any part in it! You should go talk to him and tell him what you're feeling. He might have no clue!"

At this Jenny became angry. Apparently he had overstepped his bounds by attempting to give her advice. "What would you know you fucking moron! Like you said, you just do floors!" She started to stomp away but she turned suddenly, fury in her eyes, "You know, don't worry about the closet, I'm sure I can find someone else. Hell, my dog could do your job!" She stomped a few more steps, turning back again. "I hope you get a good look Natsu Dragneel, because all of this," she motioned to herself like a model on the price is right, "is walking out the door, and you will never have a chance with it again." She threw her nose in the air and stormed out the door.

Gajeel came and stood next to him, sipping on a scotch, "That bitch was fucking crazy man."

Natsu nodded dumbly, in disbelief that the whole thing had just occurred. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Lucy was sitting, with her back to him, playing cards with the girls. That looked like fun. He was about to head over there when Gray slapped him lightly on the back.

"Damn Natsu, you're just knocking them down all over the place, and here I was starting to wonder if you even really liked women," he laughed, a snide look on his face.

Natsu turned to face his rival, "What did you say you fucking exhibitionist?" Lucy's card game could wait; he would take out his frustration on Gray's face.

* * *

Lucy had made a terrible mistake. This game was impossible! And then the worst possible thing happened.

"Yes! I am president again!" Erza said triumphantly. Somehow Erza had been president the last five rounds! The game was starting to seem rigged! Cana just seemed amused, laughing in her seat in the corner, and Levy was beyond gone so she just cackled on with her.

"This round any time someone says your name you must take a shot!"

"What? That's ridiculous!" Lucy protested.

Erza glared at her fiercely, "Do you question the rules of the president?"

Terrified, Lucy started to back down, "Well . . . ."

"Lucy, Lucy, Lucy," Erza said with a satisfied grin. Then she snarled, "Now drink!" pointing a butter knife at Lucy's head.

Levy poured three extremely messy shots and slid them towards Lucy, "looks like it's going to be a real party now huh Lu . . . haha Lu. Wait can we say nicknames, or does she have to drink for that to?"

Erza smiled, "I will allow it."

"I hate you all," Lucy scowled as she tipped the burning liquid down her throat. They could have at least gotten something slightly tasty. The cheap vodka Cana had picked was like drinking gasoline.

Juvia practically fell on her, crying into Lucy's shoulder. "Juvia feels so bad for Lucy! Why question the president's word. Oh it's just so sad!"

"That's a drink for both of you," Erza's smile disappeared.

Levy fell out of her seat, laughing in a ball. "Juju said her own name, and Lu's name!"

"Damnit," Lucy grumbled. Her cheeks were starting to flush as the drinks from the previous rounds hit her bloodstream. This was definitely a terrible mistake, but not wanting to look like a coward, she took the shot Cana slid over to her. Juvia took hers as well and sobbed into the table.

* * *

Natsu had finished victorious, only because Gray slipped on his own shirt, but it was a victory none the less. Gajeel joined them when they wandered over to find what the girls were doing. What they found had them all frozen, mouths open in surprise.

Lucy and Levy sat hugging each other and singing, while Erza stood on the table shouting at them, butter knife in hand, trying to regain order. Juvia rocked herself Cana's soothing arms while crying something about not being a Juju.

"What the fuck?" Gajeel said.

"This is worse than last year," breathed Natsu.

"Do you think they've noticed us? Maybe we can slip away quietly," Gray whispered.

The three men started to back up slowly, but it was too late, Erza caught them in her sights. "And where the hell do you think you're going?"

This alerted all of the drunken women of their presence. Lucy ran over to Natsu and didn't even attempt to slow down when she went to hug him. The force of contact caused him to fall back in surprise, taking Lucy down with him. She started nuzzling in his neck, but everyone was watching and his head was throbbing from impact. He struggled to get up, how did she get so heavy? "Lucy, come on, cut it out!"

Gray started to laugh at him, but his merriment came to a screeching halt when Juvia grabbed him by the waist and started sobbing into his abs. "Gray-sama was going to leave Juvia. Does Gray-sama not care about Juvia anymore?" She fell to the floor grabbing his knees, "Now Juvia will never get her New Year's kiss!"

Levy sidled up to Gajeel and bumped her with her hip. He looked relieved that she was acting so normal and smiled down at her, "Hey Shorty." Levy looked up at him and grinned. Then she pursed her lips together, shaking slightly, until finally a large guffaw came bursting out.

"Ga . . .ga . . Gajeel. Haha Gaga-Gajeel!" Levy was making absolutely no sense. "How you be so tall with a name like a baby!" She struggled to stand her howls of laughter racking her tiny body.

Gajeel sighed and lifted her up over his shoulder. "That's my cue, we're out of here. Frosty you get Juvia home."

"Wait, what?" a surprised Gray called out to Gajeel, who waved over his head not even bothering to turn around.

Gray tried to follow, but the blue-haired woman attached to his legs wouldn't budge. "Gray-sama, Juvia ruined New Year's! It's just so sad!" Gray groaned in frustration.

Natsu had managed to maneuver Lucy up off the floor, but she had leapt into his arms, wrapping her legs around him, purring into his neck.

"I'm suddenly having flashbacks," said Cana snidely, playing on her phone.

"This is your fault, you damn lush!" Natsu yelled at her.

"It's not my fault you guys have ladies who can't hold their liquor, and technically it's Erza's fault. She was a little power crazy," Cana made a face up at Erza who looked down at them furiously, seemingly oblivious to everything they were saying.

"How dare you all act so grossly lovey dovey when Cana and I are here all alone," she fumed.

Cana held up her hands, "don't lump me in with you, I'm meeting someone after this." Cana went back to texting on her phone.

Erza looked down at her, anger forgotten. "You're meeting someone? Who?"

"Eh, just Bacchus," Cana said nonchalantly.

"No, that guy is the worst," Gray and Natsu groaned in unison.

"Whatever, he's a good lay," Cana shrugged.

"Gross," Gray said scrunching up his face in disgust.

Natsu managed to pull his phone from his pocket when he shifted Lucy, who had started nibbling on his ear. Only a minute until midnight, thank god.

"Ah," said Erza, falling into the seat next to Cana. "That is a good idea. I will arrange to meet someone too." She began furiously typing in her phone.

Knowing exactly who Erza was texting, Natsu and Gray both attempted to get towards her in time to stop her. But by the time Natsu managed to place Lucy on the table to reach for Erza's phone, she held it up triumphantly saying "Done and sent!" Natsu knew for sure that she wouldn't look so pleased with herself come morning. He looked at Gray who was staring at the ceiling, defeated. This party had gone downhill fast.

Everyone in the bar started counting down 10, 9, 8 . . .

Gray sighed and pulled a sobbing Juvia to her feet saying "Quit worrying about that kiss."

Erza leaned over on Cana, "It's just unfortunate that they couldn't be here now!" she said with a frown.

3, 2, 1! The bar erupted into cheers!

Gray kissed Juvia lightly and was relieved when she smiled brightly at him. The relief was short lived though, she quickly fell to a puddle at his feet sobbing, "Gray-sama is so good to Juvia, Juvia doesn't deserve him!"

Lucy attacked Natsu; her kisses were anything but gentle. He couldn't help but kiss her back, his body stirring to life from her desperate open mouth assault, but she tasted like pure alcohol. He pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes, she could barely open them. "Aww Lucy! Why'd you have to get so drunk?" Lucy just smiled and cuddled into his shoulder again.

Cana grabbed Erza's face and kissed her hard. Then she pulled back and winked, "There you go sexy, I gotcha covered." Erza fell into her seat, putting her hand to her mouth, completely flabbergasted.

Cana ignored her reaction and slide out from the booth. "Alright Natsu, let's get going. You need to get big knockers home and Erza's got me all hot and bothered for my date back home."

Gray had managed to put his shirt back on and had Juvia scooped up in his arms, "Yea, we're gonna get going too. Did you want a ride Erza?"

Erza awoke from her blankness, finally removing her hand from her mouth. "Oh? Yes, I am ready to go now if you all are leaving."

When they all had shuffled to the front door Mira called out to them, "Where are you all going? The night is still young!"

Natsu and Gray both motioned to the wasted women in their arms. Juvia was still crying and Lucy had begun purring. Mira just laughed. "Of course, have a great night you guys! Be careful out there in the snow!" With a wave they all headed out into the cold night air.

* * *

Cana had kept to herself for most of the car ride, which was good because Natsu was pissed. Sure Lucy was an adult who could make her own decisions, but Cana had a way of convincing you to drink way more than you could handle. Natsu knew this first hand. He also knew from his conversations with Lucy, that she wasn't a very big drinker. A glass of wine with dinner here and there, but that was it. Who knows how much cheap vodka his dark haired friend had shoved down Lucy's throat? Now instead of having a fun evening with her, he was going to have to be Lucy's babysitter.

"She didn't want to play at first you know," Cana said, not looking up from her phone.

"Well thanks for convincing her" Natsu stated dryly.

"Oh, I didn't. She saw blue dress all over you and came right back."

"Blue dress? Jenny? You can't be serious, why would that make her drink herself stupid?"

"Natsu, that woman practically had her tongue in your ear," Cana scolded.

"Well that's not my fault! That woman is out of her mind!" Natsu defended.

"I know that, but does Lucy know that?"

Natsu looked down at the blond on his shoulder and frowned, "Well she should know . . ." Had she not seen him push Jenny away? Or the look of disgust on his face when Jenny had grabbed him in the first place?

When they arrived Cana leapt from the not quite parked car to meet Bacchus, who waited out front of their apartment complex. Natsu couldn't help but sneer at the guy, with his ridiculous man bun. He waved at Natsu and Natsu waved back with a false grin, saying to himself "Still a douche bag." Cana could really do better, but she always went back to that loser.

Natsu wasn't eager to leave the warm cab of the truck, but Lucy had opened her eyes. "Are we back home already?"

"Yea," he answered quietly, pushing the hair back away from her eyes.

"K," Lucy smiled and curled back in closer. Guess he was going to have to carry her. Natsu turned off the truck and stepped out. He placed her arms around his neck and hefted her up onto his back, pulling her out into the cold night air. She snuggled in close to his warmth as he shut the door with his foot and they started the long trek back to the apartment.

When they arrived to her door he gently whispered "Lucy, keys?" She fumbled around to get them out of her pocket.

He reached up to get them from her and she batted his hand away, sliding down his back. "I got it," she slurred. After trying five times, she finally got it and stumbled into her apartment. She turned to him and pouted. Swaying, she poked her finger firmly in his chest "I'm mad at you."

Natsu held up his hands, "Lucy I didn't . . ." She placed her finger to his lips while making a shushing sound.

She turned and started to walk away from him. Natsu couldn't help but grin when she wobbled. Then she started to remove her clothes, first the jacket, then the boots, then the shirt, and lastly, after a clumsy hop or two, her pants. Natsu wasn't grinning anymore, he had never been so mad at Cana in all his life, because there stood Lucy in the sexiest red lingerie he had ever seen and he couldn't do a damn thing about it because she was drunk out of her mind.

As if sensing his thoughts, she turned and narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't even look, all of this . . ." she started to motion to herself, but became suddenly distracted by the floor, "needs to take a nap." And she lowered herself, extremely ungracefully, onto the carpet in the doorway of the bedroom.

Natsu sighed, what a mess. He removed his jacket and set it on the couch. He went over and placing one arm under her shoulders and another under her legs he lifted her now sleeping body and placed her under the covers in her bed. He picked up her discarded trail of clothes and threw them in the hamper. He searched her cabinets until he found the motrin and filled glass of water. After drinking a glass himself, he brought the full glass and the pills and set them on the stand next to the bed. He stood there for a moment staring at her, unsure of what to do. He didn't want to leave her here alone in case she got sick, but he wasn't so sure she would be happy to see him in the morning.

Natsu decided it would be prudent to sleep on the couch, he reached over her to steal a pillow and she grabbed his arm. Looking up at him she asked groggily, "what are you doing?"

"I'm going to sleep on the couch Lucy, do you need something? There's some water here," he whispered.

Lucy frowned. "But I want you to sleep here, I want to snuggle."

Natsu grinned; he didn't need to be asked twice. He stripped to his briefs and hopped in next to her, enjoying the feel of her soft, warm skin against his as she snuggled into him. Her bed was like a soft cloud and he buried himself in her hair, smelling the sweet fragrance of her shampoo. She might be mad in the morning, but her little sigh of pleasure and the feeling of her up against him made it all worth it.

* * *

Across town a man sat in his car looking up at the small bungalow house, trying to decide if he should go ring the bell. He looked at the text on his phone one last time. "I miss you, come over." Did she really mean it? Could he dare to hope?

He knew she was home, even at this late hour, the light from the TV flashed in the living room. He took a deep breath; he was going to go up. He couldn't let this chance pass him by. Worst case she would apologize for the message and send him home.

He turned off the car and stepped out into the night air. His feet crunched in the snow, his breath coming out in long puffs of fog. After navigating the deep snow on the steps, he stomped the snow off his boots onto the cement stoop. He knocked gently and leaned his forehead on the door. When she began to turn the locks he could feel his heart race, he struggled to keep his breathing normal.

She opened the door and stood there looking at him, wide eyed. She was wearing a long button up sweater that she held closed over god knows what else. He swallowed deeply, his eyes taking in the sight of her. She reached out and touched his face as if she couldn't believe he was real. "You actually came."

"Of course I came, I would go anywhere for you," he replied quietly.

Her cheeks reddened to almost the same color of her beautiful hair. She pulled her hand back slowly "I probably shouldn't have sent it. . ." she started.

His heart dropped, but he knew he deserved it. He had lost her and he wasn't going to get her back. "It's okay, I'm just happy to see you. Don't worry I'll go." He turned and started back to his car. "Happy New Year's Erza."

When he was halfway to the car she called out "Jellal wait!" He turned and looked back at her; she had stepped out onto the stoop, the wind blowing her hair and her sweater causing it to open, showing, just as he had thought, she wore only underwear beneath. Erza had to be freezing out here with her bare feet and bare legs, but she looked completely unfazed. "I don't want you to go."

She ran out into the snow like a mad woman and leapt into his arms. She kissed him deeply, tears running down her cheeks. He wrapped his arms and coat around her, in complete disbelief at his good fortune. When he started walking back towards the house, she pulled away and wiped her face, "I'm so tired of missing you, I'm so tired of hating you, I can't to do this anymore. " She buried her face into his neck and whispered, "I still love you, spend the night with me. Please don't go."

When they got back into the house, she was kissing him again. She pushed his coat from his shoulders and he let it fall to the floor. He kicked off his boots, and pulled her closer to him, kissing her neck as he headed towards the bedroom. She let her sweater fall and he moved his attention to the tops of her breasts, kissing and sucking the soft, white skin. She groaned in pleasure and he felt his whole body respond to her, unable to help himself he grabbed just below her butt and pulled her warmth tighter around him, grinding into her. He wasn't sure if this was just for tonight, it felt like a dream. He placed her on the bed gently, climbing over top of her. She kissed him deeply again, her tongue exploring his mouth, while her hands began removing his belt. When his pants were free and had fallen to the floor, she paused her kisses to pull his shirt over his head.

Fighting the way his body screamed for her, Jellal stopped and looked her in the eyes. Needing to know she wanted this, needing to know that her words had been real. "Are you sure?"

She gently touched his cheek and smiled. Then she surprised him by roughly rolling him over so that she straddled him, "No, but I don't care." She kissed him savagely and Jellal knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself again. He growled and lost himself in the beautiful woman above him, who owned him, mind, body, and soul.


	8. The Hangover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After drinking to much on New Year’s the girls wake up, will they have regrets?

* * *

 

Lucy was going to die, or at least that's how she felt when she opened her eyes at five in the morning. Her head was pounding, her throat dry, and her stomach . . . she didn't even want to think about her stomach. She was so uncomfortably hot and the room was spinning. Lucy pushed herself away from her blankets, and the man snuggled into them, and fell ungracefully on the floor. Unable to pull herself upright she crawled on hands and knees in the direction of the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" She turned back to see a groggy Natsu looking at her like she was the weirdest thing he'd ever seen. Her head was screaming in pain, his voice hurt, looking at him hurt, she needed to get to the bathroom.

So she moaned the only response she could get out, "No." She continued her crawl, hoping she had been able to get her point across. She had to get to the bathroom now.

When her hands hit the white bathroom tiles she finally got a little bit of relief. They felt so spectacularly cool beneath her hands and knees that she just flopped on the floor, grateful that she had scrubbed in here just a few days prior. She rested for a few glorious seconds and then her stomach lurched. With a speed she didn't think she had left in her, Lucy lunged to the toilet just in time for her stomach to empty all of its contents. This was awful! How did Cana drink like this all the time! Her villainous stomach tried to empty itself again. When the nausea disappeared the pounding headache returned. Lucy began to cry.

"Oh Luce," came Natsu's sympathetic voice from the doorway. He disappeared for a second and came rushing back in with the glass of water and the pill she had ignored the night before. He knelt next to her holding it out to her like a gift. "Here take this, it will make it better."

"Go away," she mumbled, he was too awake, too loud, his smile was too white! She rested her head on her arm, keeping her eyes squeezed shut and attempted to push him out of her space.

He laughed lightly at her feeble attempt and pushed the water back in her face. "Drink the water Luce and take the Motrin, or . . . I'm gonna start singing,"

"Nooo Natsu nooo," she moaned, pushing the water away again.

"You gotta drink Lucy," he tried one more time.

"Go to hell," she hissed out, and then sobbed into her arm because the talking hurt too much! Why wouldn't Natsu just leave her alone?

It started quietly, but Natsu made sure to put his lips right next to the ear that wasn't buried in the soft skin on her bicep. "Puff the Magic Dragon . . . "

"No no no no no no," Lucy moaned, trying to burrow further into her arm.

He started gaining volume, a sadistic smile on his face, "and frolicked in the autumn mist . . ."

Lucy quickly lifted her head. Giving Natsu a furious look she snatched the pill and the glass. She threw the Motrin in her mouth and took a deep gulp of water, then shoved the glass back in his hand, never breaking eye contact. She could tell Natsu was trying hard not to laugh, he was a bastard.

The headache hit her with a vengeance and she fell to the floor clutching her head, palms putting pressure on her eyes. "Why are you so mean to meeee?" she sobbed loudly.

He lay down on the floor so they were face to face and gently pushed the hair from her face. "Oh Luce, I can't help it, it's so much fun," he said gently. He chuckled when she sobbed again. "Drink more water, small sips. I'm gonna go find something to eat!"

Lucy wanted to yell at him, but she couldn't make any more than a whimper. She curled up in a ball and closed her eyes, praying for the pain to stop.

* * *

Jellal opened his eyes to Erza sitting on her side of the bed, tugging on a pair of leather boots. It was still dark out; he wondered where she would be heading out to. Surely she wouldn't leave him here alone if she regretted last night. The Erza he knew would have woken him and kicked him out, clothes in hand.

She still hadn't noticed his stirring; he needed to get her attention. "Hey," he ventured groggily, hopeful her response would be a good one.

His heart leapt when she turned and smiled, "Good morning." She looked so beautiful in the dim glow of the bedside lamp. Did she have to leave so soon?

"Where are you . . ." Jellal didn't finish his question because when he went to pull his left hand to rub his tired face it was met with the sharp edge of the metal bracelet holding it back. "What the?" He looked up to see that Erza had, in fact, chained him to her bed. He turned to her for an explanation.

She smiled sweetly at his confused expression and kissed his lips gently. "We have to talk, but they just brought someone in that I need to speak with immediately. Don't worry I'll be back in a few hours." She stood and grabbed the shoulder holster from where it hung on the bedframe, pulling it over her arms.

"You can't be serious," Jellal tested the strength of the handcuffs by pulling hard, resulting in nothing but a sharp pain to his wrist. Undeterred he tried again and again, leave it to Erza to use the real thing.

Erza pulled on a blazer, completely covering her holster. She pulled her hair out loose from the jacket, letting it cascade down her back. She headed over and, looking in the mirror over her dresser, she pulled the fiery tresses into a tight pony tail on the back of her head. "Break the bed and you will regret it," She warned without even looking away from her task.

"Erza," Jellal growled. "You can't leave me like this! I'm just supposed lay here until you return? How am I supposed to go to the bathroom?"

Erza put her finger to her lips thoughtfully then disappeared into the hall. He heard her make noises in the kitchen. When she returned she was toting an empty Gatorade bottle. She set it on the bedside table next to him. "Here, this should be big enough."

Jellal was incredulous, she couldn't be serious. He dropped back onto the pillow hard, rubbing his tired face with his free hand. "Erza," he groaned.

She straddled him and put her face close to his. "Well I can't exactly count on you to wait for me now can I?" It was a low blow, but he knew he deserved it. He closed his eyes and let out a sad sigh. It wasn't the first time, and it probably wouldn't be the last, that he wished he could change his past. Then she took him by surprise falling towards him and kissing him passionately, causing his whole body to come alive. It was official, she was completely insane, but for some reason it only made him want her more. He moaned into her lips, unable to handle the intensity of the whole situation, the handcuffs, the sweet taste of her mouth, the way she was rubbing against him. He grabbed the back of her head pulling her closer, deepening the kiss and massaging her tongue with his.

She pulled away quickly, a mischievous grin on her face. "I'll be back. If you do manage free yourself, make sure you're here." Erza hopped off of him and placed a small key on her dresser. With a wave she was out the door.

"Erza!" Jellal yelled after her. He was furious. How could she abandon him chained to a bed and aroused? He heard the front door slam; she was really going to leave him like this. He took a deep breath to calm himself and looked up at the bedframe. He would be here when she returned but that bedframe was coming apart. There was no way he was using the Gatorade bottle.

* * *

When Natsu got back to the bathroom, Lucy was dead to the world, snoring like a congested boar. He stood there for a moment, just taking in the sight of her sprawled out on the tile floor and chuckled. Natsu knew he wouldn't feel right just leaving her there. He placed one arm under her knees and wrapped the other around her back. Heaving her up he grunted, "Ooof, you're so heavy when you're asleep Lucy!" He laughed at his own joke and brought her back to her room.

He placed her gently back in the bed and when she whimpered again he crawled in next to her, wrapping her tightly in his arms. He shushed her like she was a sick child, stroking her hair until she feel back into a deep sleep. Natsu kissed her on the head and smiled, falling back to sleep himself.

* * *

Gray didn't know what he was doing. He raised his hand to knock and dropped it right back down, blowing out a breath. He shouldn't be here, he really didn't want to encourage Juvia's behavior, but for some reason when he was out grabbing a sausage biscuit this morning, he doubled his order and drove straight here. He knew she was going to wake up alone and hungry, probably a little bit queasy from trying to keep up with Cana, and he felt bad. Gray also knew though Gajeel lived with her, he wasn't coming back any time soon. Once Levy looked that ogre's way, he couldn't see or think about anyone else. Juvia was going to need someone.

What he wasn't sure of was whether or not that someone should be him, which was why he had stood outside her townhouse's front door for the past fifteen minutes, raising and lowering his hand. He didn't really want to encourage her over the top demonstrations of love, they made him uncomfortable, but he did like her. She was beautiful and when she calmed down she was actually pretty good company. Really he was a lucky guy to be the object of her affection, as annoying as it was. He groaned and leaned his head on the door, why did bringing this stupid biscuit feel like a wedding proposal!

The door was suddenly flung open, causing Gray to stumble. He threw his hand up instinctually looking for something, anything, to grab in order to stop his fall. What his hand found was soft, and extremely inappropriate.

"Gray-sama," said Juvia in quiet surprise.

He looked up at her and noticed her red flushed cheeks. He then realized what he had grabbed was her breast. Making an extremely unmanly squeak , he bounced away from her. Gray hid his face with his free hand in embarrassment. "Shit, sorry. Oh god, I'm so sorry Juvia!" He wondered for the millionth time why he felt so awkward with her. Who falls over and reaches for a woman's breast? He was such a doofus!

Juvia touched his arm lightly and gave him a smile. "It's okay Gray-sama, Juvia knows it was an accident. Does Gray-sama want to come in? Juvia was just putting on some coffee. Or perhaps Gray-sama prefers tea?"

"Coffee is good, that sounds great." Gray said, gaining composure. He followed Juvia into her home. He remembered thinking last night how pleasant and warm it felt, despite the cool color palette. Last night Gray wasn't able to get a word in edgewise, Juvia had sobbed about anything and everything, and then passed out of the couch. After placing a blanket over her, he had quietly slipped out the door.

Juvia led him into the living room which was now spotless, showing no signs of their late night. She motioned for him to sit at the couch. "Juvia will go get the drinks. Does Gray-sama want sugar or milk?"

"Black is fine." When Juvia went to the kitchen, Gray tossed the bag on the table. He sat down hard and leaned forward, resting his chin in his hand. What the hell did he want, why was he here?

"Is Gray-sama okay? Are you feeling a little hungover?" Came Juvia's hesitant voice.

He attempted to smile, knowing it probably looked more like a more like a grimace. "Nah, I'm fine. I don't know how you are doing so well though. When I left you here last night you had just finished being a crying mess!"

Juvia frowned and sat down next to him setting the coffee on the table. "Oh no, Juvia is always good about her water! I made sure to drink plenty through the night and before bed. Juvia never has bad hangovers."

Gray picked up his coffee and leaned back, sipping the bitter beverage and enjoying the way it warmed his throat. "You probably already ate but I brought you a biscuit." He motioned to the bag on the table.

Juvia looked at him with a surprised expression. She pulled the bag towards her and pulled one of the paper wrapped sandwiches out. "Gray-sama got this for me?" Juvia held it up in front of her and her lip started to quiver.

"Yea, look I'm sorry if you don't like those, I didn't know what to get . . ." Gray scratched his head and looked at the blue-haired woman sitting next to him. He saw that tears were starting to form in the corners of her eyes. "Juvia, I can go get something else if it's that bad."

"No! Juvia is so sorry!" Juvia fell into Gray's lap sobbing. "Juvia ruined New Year's by drinking too much and now Gray-sama brought her breakfast! Juvia doesn't deserve Gray-sama!"

Gray couldn't stop his instinctual response of recoiling from her over-the-top display, but on reflection of what Juvia said he felt the overwhelming desire to comfort her. He stroked her hair and then lifted her chin so that she looked at him. "Why in the world would you think you wouldn't deserve someone like me? If anything it's the other way around!"

"Oh no!" Juvia sat back and put her hand to her mouth, "Gray-sama is so perfect, so smart and so handsome. So nice to Juvia."

"I'm definitely not perfect Juvia," Gray countered, feeling uncomfortable with her praise. "Really you're the one who could do better. You shouldn't waste your time with a dumb ass like me. There are probably tons of guys out there who are interested in you; guys with degrees and good jobs, guys who could actually take care of you." By the end of his rant he was so worked up he was practically panting. He didn't want to feel this way, he was angry at himself for his outburst. He dropped forward, hiding his face in his hands.

Juvia touched his back gently, "Gray-sama is too hard on himself. Gray-sama _is_ smart, Juvia doesn't need to see a degree on the wall to see that. Gray-sama _does_ have a good job, you're the best heat and air guy in the area, Juvia would bet her life on it. Most of all, Juvia doesn't need to be taken care of, Juvia takes care of herself. Juvia is a strong, independent woman," she gave him a wink. "Juvia doesn't want any other _guy_ ; Juvia wants Gray-sama and Gray-sama only because to Juvia you _are_ perfect, just the way you are."

Gray lifted his head and looked at her. She was completely out of her mind but her smile was like sunshine. That thought made him think maybe he was insane now as well. Suddenly he didn't understand why he kept fighting this. She was everything he ever wanted and yet he rejected her because it seemed so easy? Why couldn't the good things in life be easy for once? He had to work so hard for everything else he had in his life; maybe fate was finally cutting him some slack.

He didn't try to hold back anymore, he gently pulled her towards him and kissed her sweetly like she deserved. He could feel her smile when she kissed him back. When he pulled back he chuckled, caressing her surprised, happy face. "Well Juvia, what do you want to do today?"

* * *

When Natsu woke up again, sunshine was pouring through the window. He stretched and looked down at Lucy. She was still snuggled up against him, but her face was pensive and she stared out at nothing, chewing on her lip. Cana's warning about Jenny from the night prior came to mind, but he thought surely Lucy wasn't still stuck on that. Natsu still had trouble believing Lucy could have been bothered by Jenny's advances at all.

"Good morning," he tested, kissing her on the top of her head.

She flinched, "h . . .hey." Damnit, she was definitely upset.

"What's wrong Luce?"

"Oh, nothing, really. I guess. Did we? Last night?" she looked up at him so confused that he couldn't help but laugh.

"You really don't remember? No Lucy, you were so drunk you didn't even make it into bed before passing out."

She sighed in relief, "Thank goodness."

"You don't have to be so relieved!" he sarcastically defended himself. "You know, some people would consider me a really good catch!"

He just barely caught her mumble of "I'm aware." Shit, definitely bothered by Jenny's flirting or maybe she was having second thoughts about him? She didn't act weird when he picked her up last night; she spent the entire beginning of the evening with him. He struggled with how to react, insecurities warring in his head.

"What's that Lucy?"

"Nothing," she grumbled as she slid out of bed. Lucy grabbed a hair tie from her bedside table and she threw her hair up in a messy bun. She walked across the room and pulled open her dresser, taking out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Lucy avoided glancing his way when she said quietly, "I have to go over to work to get some prep work done for opening back up tomorrow. There should be some muffins still on the counter or some cereal in the cabinet, feel free to help yourself before you go."

Natsu's heart dropped. He was losing her; she was pulling away from him. "Don't be silly Luce, I'll drive you. It's still a winter wonderland out there." He sat up placing his feet on the floor, his eyes burning a hole in her back trying to get her to turn and look at him.

Lucy's head dropped, "No, really Natsu, I can walk. The exercise would be good for me."

Natsu frowned, but kept his voice light, "It's not a problem. I'll come help you even, I'm a quick learner! I want to spend more time with you; I really missed you the last couple days!"

"No Natsu," he heard her sniffle, was she crying? "I just, I just can't today okay? Thank you so much for getting me home last night, but I just, I just need to do today alone okay?"

Like hell he was going to leave her alone. Her shoulders were slightly bouncing now, she was definitely crying. He walked over to her with purposeful strides, grabbed her by the arms and turned her, forcing her to face him. Her face was already red and streaked with fallen tears. He gently wiped her left cheek, "Lucy, what's wrong?"

Lucy firmed her jaw, "I saw you Natsu, I saw _her_ Natsu."

He wiped the other side, "Who did you see Lucy?"

"Stop pretending you don't know what I'm talking about!" she shouted, batting his hands away. "The blue dress! That slut with the blue dress, who was practically sucking on your ear!" She pushed him away and stormed towards the kitchen.

"Lucy! Calm down! That was just Jenny!" he said following her out of the room.

She turned to face him, fury in her eyes. "Just Jenny! Just Jenny! And what am I when you're with her Natsu? Just Lucy?" she shrieked at him.

"Of course not!" Natsu retorted.

"Well, what am I supposed to think Natsu? I go to the bathroom for ten seconds and I come back and this woman is all over you! How am I supposed to interpret that?" She was talking wildly with her hands, her fury causing her tears to flow more freely. It was breaking his heart.

Natsu tried to grab her, needing her to pay attention, needing her to listen, but she pulled back. "Lucy you need to listen to me!"

Lucy threw the clothes on the couch and furiously stormed into the kitchen. She spilled coffee grounds all over the counter while trying to put them in the coffee maker and she banged the pot extremely loudly when she set it on to brew. "I guess I don't have a right to be angry really, we didn't say we were monogamous. But did you really have to throw her in my face! In that dress no less after you convinced me to change!" she ranted on.

"Shit Lucy, calm down. You aren't letting me speak!" Natsu groaned and rubbed his face.

"Well maybe I don't want to hear the stupid excuses again, maybe I'm tired of going through this, maybe. . ." she started sobbing into the counter.

Natsu came up next to her and rubbed her back. He spoke softly, "Lucy, Jenny is a client. Remember I told you about her earlier in the week? The one with the closet?"

Lucy's head popped up, "What? She's the one on the bed in the lingerie?"

Natsu gave her an exaggerated nod.

"But. . . she's so. . . she's so beautiful!" Lucy exclaimed.

Natsu thought this was a strange reply and raised his eyebrow. "Well I guess so. . ." He said, unsure of the correct response. Was this a test?

Lucy frowned, "It's just when you told me some client propositioned you, I imagined some old lady in a garter belt. "

Natsu's eyes practically bugged out of his head before he doubled over in laughter, "That would have been hilarious! I definitely would have told you if it was an old lady. Unfortunately it was Jenny. Not funny, just awkward. "

"But . . . she looks like a model," Lucy looked at him with her face twisted in confused.

Natsu closed the distance between them and pulled her into a hug. "I don't know what that has to do with anything," he said softly. "She's not you Lucy. That's all that matters to me."

Lucy started sobbing into his shoulder; Natsu pulled her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. "Why are you crying now?"

"I just don't know if I can do this! A woman whispered to you and I accused you of sleeping with her!" She looked up at him, her lip still quivering. "You don't deserve that Natsu; you deserve someone who can trust you. Why am I such a mess?"

"Lucy, it's okay. You can't ignore the fact that someone you cared about deeply hurt you. I know I can't expect you to be able to trust me one hundred percent right off the bat, but I'm willing to stick around until you can. I just need you to talk to me when you're upset about something." Unable to help himself he added, "Drinking with Cana is _never_ the best way to handle your doubts."

"Tell me about, I still feel awful," Lucy pouted.

"Speaking of which, I would definitely brush your teeth before we go . . ."

Lucy threw her hands over her mouth. "I didn't!"

"You don't remember crawling on your hands and knees to the bathroom this morning?" Natsu's grin widened.

Lucy's eyes became big as saucers, "No, I didn't!"

Natsu put his lips next to her ear and murmured, "Or purring into my throat at the bar last night?" When she squeaked in dismay, he pulled away and laughed, "I'm starting to think drinking turns you into some sort of perverted cat. You were such a weirdo last night."

"Natsu!" she whined, exasperated with his teasing. Lucy shoved him lightly and ran to the bathroom to remedy her breath, grabbing the clothes on the way.

Natsu breathed a sigh of relief and helped himself to the freshly brewed coffee. He took a sip and then set about cleaning up the mess of grounds on the counter.


	9. The Parfum of Passionate Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erza comes back to Jellal, a little later than expected. The group decides to do Valentines together and are taken by surprise by their extremely eccentric chef

* * *

 

Erza was exhausted. The asshole had held out for four hours. It was the most worthless interrogation she'd had in a long time. Now that he had an attorney she would have to come up with a whole new strategy. This guy was a pain in the ass, maybe she would just let Kagura try.

She pulled into her driveway, relieved to finally be home. Then she noticed the Wrangler parked in front of her house. Erza cringed. Shit, she had left Jellal here chained to her bed. To her credit, Erza really thought she would be gone an hour, two at most. The perp was weak, but there was someone out there scaring him worse than she could, Erza hadn't counted on that. Four hours chained to a bed was a little excessive, cruel really, no matter what he did. She walked up to the door and paused before opening it, nerves making it hard to turn the handle.

She was Erza Scarlet, her name struck fear in the hearts of criminals all throughout Magnolia, and yet here she was afraid to enter her own home because of the man she loved. Now in the light of day, when the afterglow from their night before faded, she wasn't sure she had made the right choice. Jellal had really broken her heart. She had known him most of her life, their relationship had turned romantic senior year of high school. When they both went to different colleges, they still maintained their relationship, even over the long distance.

It was when they graduated that the problems started. Jellal was obsessed with his career in the military; he had to be the best. That meant lots of different schools, trainings, and deployments. He had expected her to follow him wherever he was stationed, even though it meant weeks or months of being alone without him in a place where she knew no one. She had been willing to try, she loved him so much, but then, two years out, he was offered an opportunity to be stationed overseas and at the same time Makarov had become very ill. She just couldn't leave the adoptive father she loved so much, especially when Jellal wouldn't even be home for half of the time they were over there. Jellal had been furious, he didn't understand how he could choose Makarov over him and she couldn't understand why he thought that was what it was about. He refused to pick a position at a closer base and refused to try and continue their relationship long distance, if she couldn't support him, he would do it by himself.

She didn't hear a thing from him for two whole years. She tried dating here and there, setups from the guys, people her fellow officers knew, even a couple guys from online dating, but it all felt like a farce. None of those guys would ever be Jellal. So she focused on her work, took extra hours, and moved up fast in her department.

Jellal was injured badly. In an explosion he shattered his left leg. They were able to save it through extensive surgeries but his career was over. His parents had him transferred to the hospital in Magnolia so that they could help with his care. Mira's little sister Lisanna was a physical therapist there. She would unknowingly torture Erza by telling her about his progress and how he asked about her. When she started asking if Erza would come visit, Erza started avoiding Lisanna. It just hurt too much, so Erza stayed away.

When Jellal recovered he sought her out, begging for forgiveness and another chance, and she asked the question neither of them wanted the answer to, "If you hadn't been injured, would you have come back for me?"

And Jellal couldn't lie; he told her "I don't know."

Not fully able to forgive him, she had agreed to try and be friends. Her heart still broken, she found seeing him just opened old wounds. Erza stopped picking up his calls, stopped returning his texts, and avoided him whenever she could. He tried for a while but eventually he left her alone. Their last contact had been six months ago. So of course, a little too much to drink and she would drag him into her bed and then chain him to it. Erza massaged her temples and took a deep breath. She had to go in; she couldn't leave him shackled to her bed. Even if she wasn't sure that she wanted him there, she was the one who put him there in the first place.

She opened the door and was surprised to hear the TV on. She hung up her coat and left her boots by the door. Erza slowly shuffled to the living room and a smile spread on her face. Of course he would free himself, how could she have had any doubt? He sat on the couch asleep, the TV on to the news, a textbook in his lap. All of her doubts drifted away, this was what she wanted, this was what she needed. It was time to let go of the what ifs and move on.

As if he sensed her presence, he opened his eyes. He smiled at her and groggily said "Oh, hey there. You're back."

She flushed, extremely embarrassed by her behavior, "Yes, I am very sorry it took so long."

He set the book on the table next to him and stretched, "It's okay, I hope you don't mind I had some of your cereal."

Erza inched towards him, feeling suddenly shy, "N . . . no, of course not. "

He seemed amused by her behavior, watching her with a small smile and a twinkle in his eye. He reached out and grabbed her hand then hauled her roughly into his lap. He pulled her close, nestling his face in her neck. "That was a very naughty thing you did earlier," he rumbled in her ear.

Erza's eyes went wide and she bit her lip, heat pooling in her belly. He nipped her ear and ran his tongue down her neck, chuckling softly. "You're going to have to make it up to me . . ." he continued softly, moving his attention to her collar bone.

"Uh-huh," she breathed out, unable to say anything more. She reclined her head back and closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of his mouth on her chest.

Suddenly he stood, dropping her unceremoniously on the floor, and her butt hit the ground with a loud thud."By letting me take you to lunch," he said with a grin.

Erza rubbed her back and stared at up him in shock. "Wha . . ."

He put out his hand to help her up, "Come on, I'm starving, that cardboard you eat for breakfast is terrible. And what kind of person only has instant coffee in their house?"

Erza laughed, allowing him to pull her to a stand. "I usually just drink the stuff at work. I don't spend a lot of time here."

He held her close to him and smiled, "You did have a piece of cake in the fridge . . ." Erza couldn't help but show the feeling of rage that came over her, did he eat her last piece? He laughed at her expression and kissed her lightly. "Don't worry, I knew better than to touch that. Come on, let's go to the diner, I can get a real sandwich and I won't judge if you just want to order dessert."

* * *

When Lucy came into the bakery the day after New Year's, it was perfect. The bakery was sparkling clean, everything was prepped, and her to do list manageable. That was the last day like that. January was insanely busy. The business crowd wanted coffee and muffins, the lunch crowd wanted soups and sandwiches, every well-to-do stay at home mom wanted a platter of cookies for their luncheon, business was great. When she could, she went over to happy hour, but she found most night's she just wanted to go right home. She would cook Natsu dinner and then they would watch a movie and he would rub her feet. It was comfortable, it was wonderful.

"Lu, what are you guys doing for Valentine's Day?" Levy asked from Natsu's usual place at the lesser used prep table. She had started taking lunch over at Lucy's since she found most mornings these days she was running too late to stop for coffee.

"I don't know, I hadn't thought about it," said Lucy.

"Says the woman making heart cookies," teased Levy.

"Huh?" Lucy looked down at the Linzer hearts she was currently preparing. She laughed as she placed a scoop of raspberry jam in the middle of one of the hearts. "Well yea, I've been planning lots when it comes to the business end of it. Linzer cookies, heart shaped sugars and shorts, little chocolate heart cakes, some cheesecakes, and maybe even truffles, although that might be a little ambitious. Maybe truffles next year," Lucy saw from Levy's face that she was rambling again. She laughed and continued to place scoop after scoop on the hearts. "Yea, I haven't really planned anything with Natsu. I don't even know that we will do anything special. Maybe just order some Chinese and watch a movie?"

"No! You can't! That's not fun and it's your first Valentine's!" Levy protested.

"Okay, what are you and Gajeel doing?" asked Lucy.

"Well . . . nothing yet," Levy put her finger to her chin in thought. She smiled, "I know! Let's all go out together! We can invite Juvia and Gray, and Erza and Jellal! It will be like a quadruple date!"

It sounded to Lucy like a disaster waiting to happen. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Every time we go somewhere with Gray, Natsu has some stupid competition with him, with Gajeel in the mix . . . "

Levy waved off Lucy's concerns, "Oh, don't worry, we won't go anywhere fancy. And Erza is usually pretty good at making them stop."

Lucy laughed and quipped sarcastically, "Of course, it would be _way_ less embarrassing if they had a brawl in a Pizza Hut."

Levy ignored her, "We could all go to the new Japanese Steak House! I've heard such good things about that place!" She started tapping away on her phone.

"I really don't know that getting Natsu somewhere that they set food on fire is a good idea . . ." Lucy grimaced at the thought.

"Oh don't be such a party pooper Lucy! It will be fun!" Levy grinned up at her. "I've already texted Erza and Juvia; they think it's a great idea!"

"Is Gajeel going to like it?" Lucy asked.

"Well . . . maybe not at first. But he really does enjoy hanging out with you guys, even if he pretends he doesn't." Levy's tone made it sound like she wasn't very convinced herself. "Okay, it might take some convincing; he's been a bit of a homebody. I like that most of the time, but I want to go out for once and I miss spending time with you guys! I'll make it up to him."

"Sure Levy," Lucy laughed. She began placing the heart tops on her linzers, careful to make sure the jam spread evenly between the two cookies. She wasn't sure how she felt about Levy hijacking Valentine's Day. She didn't really care much about the holiday, Loke had always made it way too over the top, and when she was single it was just easier to ignore its existence. "Well, I guess I'll check with Natsu, I'm not sure if he had any plans."

Levy laughed, "I doubt he even remembers there is such a thing as Valentine's Day!"

"Give him more credit than that," Lucy snorted, Levy was probably right.

"Really, you guys have been together longer than a month, that's like the longest he's ever been with anyone." Levy looked thoughtful again, "well unless you count Lisanna but that was like middle school and early high school so you can't count that. I wouldn't really consider Natsu a romantic."

"Well, yea, he's not really one for grand gestures, but he can be very sweet. He's always doing thoughtful things for me." Lucy sprinkled powder sugar on the cookies and smiled, they were perfect. She set the trays on one of the racks and pulled out another three trays of plain hearts to start adding raspberry to. "Besides, I don't need anything extravagant, most of that stuff makes me uncomfortable anyway."

"All the better then, this takes the pressure off the guys and we can all have fun together!" Levy exclaimed.

Levy's enthusiasm was contagious, Lucy grinned from ear to ear. "Alright it's a date then . . . after I check with Natsu."

* * *

Gajeel could not believe his ears. He looked down at the tiny blue-haired woman sitting next to him. "You've got to be kidding me Shrimp, we're not doing that."

"Oh Gajeel, but Erza already made the reservation! It will be fun! Like a party for Valentine's Day!" Levy said enthusiastically.

"First, Valentine's Day is a stupid holiday to begin with; it's just another way to sell cards. Second, it doesn't matter what the day is, I don't want to go to dinner with stripper and Salamander, I see them way more than I want to already," Gajeel crossed his arms and scowled.

"Salamander?" asked Levy

"Yea, you know, he's got that weird fascination with dragons, but he's a small fry, a little lizard, so a salamander," Gajeel explained. Levy raised her brow at his strange clarification. "Whatever, I'm not watching him slobber all over his food and I'm not in the mood to see Gray's nipples again!"

"Okay . . . I guess if you say so," Levy sighed and pouted. She wandered into the kitchen and started loudly emptying her dishwasher. Gajeel flinched at the sound of plates hitting plates. Damnit, now she was mad.

Gajeel huffed and rose from his spot on the couch. He came up behind her and hugged her, kissing her on the top of her head. "We can just do something by ourselves . . ."

"Whatever you want Gajeel," Levy squirmed out of his grasp and slammed the dishwasher shut. She headed into the living room and pulled a vacuum from the closet near the front door. Levy plugged it in and started furiously attacking the living room carpet with it. Gajeel watched her for a moment then slowly edged his way over to her.

"Shorty . . . don't be upset," Gajeel stopped at the corner of the rug, afraid that if he came any closer because she might attack his feet with the cleaning device.

"Who said I was upset," said Levy, still avoiding his gaze. She turned off the vacuum and ripped the cord from the wall, then pushed the button to retract to cord with a loud snap. Levy marched right passed him and slammed the vacuum back in the closet. She stormed into the kitchen and grabbed the Windex from below the sink and the paper towels. Levy went over to the windows behind her chaise and started wiping them zealously.

"Any idiot can tell you're upset, you're cleaning like a maniac!" said Gajeel, his frustration leaking into his tone.

"Of course I'm cleaning, this place is a shithole!" Levy snapped back.

Gajeel groaned, he came up behind her again and disarmed her of the Windex, setting it on the end table next to the chaise. He turned her to him and sighed deeply. "If it means that much to ya Shrimp, we can go."

"Really?" her face quickly changed from sour to sweet, her smile lighting up the whole room.

"Yea, but if Salamander spits anywhere near my food, I reserve the right to pu . . ."Levy leapt into his arms and kissed him hungrily. Gajeel grinned and kissed her back, falling down into the chaise and taking her with him. He knew he had lost this one, but with the tiny blue-haired fairy in his lap he decided it was worth it.

* * *

On Valentine's Day there was a nip in the air, but Lucy wore a dress anyway. There was no way she was going to let another opportunity to look gorgeous pass her by. This time she picked a simple fuchsia, strapless, midi dress. She paired it with nude heels, diamond earrings, and her hair down with a soft wave. Lucy was excited because the adorable dress had pockets, she was also excited about the matching pink and white lace bra and panty set she had under. She grinned as she checked herself in the mirror; Natsu didn't know what he had coming.

The doorbell rang and Lucy hurried over to answer it. She opened the door to Natsu's big grin which turned quickly to a look of awe. He stepped in, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her sweetly. He pulled away so that their noses barely touched and murmured, "You are so beautiful, did you know that?"

Lucy felt like her smile couldn't get big enough, and her cheeks flushed as pink as her dress. She stepped away to get a better look at him. "You look pretty handsome yourself, are you wearing khakis!"

Natsu looked embarrassed and scratched the back of his neck. "Yea, Gray said I would look like an idiot if I came in jeans, so I bought a pair. I clean up nice huh?" He grinned real big.

"Yes, very sexy," Lucy smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Just let me grab my coat and bag, and we can get going."

When they arrived at the restaurant, Natsu found a spot right next to Gray who was helping Juvia out of the passenger side. Seeing them pull in they waved, and waited so that the four of them could walk in together.

"Kinda crazy that Jellal is here with Erza don't ya think?" Gray said when he shook Natsu's hand in greeting.

"Yea, I never thought she'd give him another chance," admitted Natsu

"Didn't you punch him in the face the last time you saw him?" Gray said with a smirk.

Natsu breathed in with a sharp hiss, "Oooo yea, I think I did."

Lucy looked up at him horrified, "Natsu, you didn't!"

"What? That was years ago! He made Erza cry! She's family, nobody messes with family. I'd do the same for Cana except she's typically the one causing the crying." Natsu looked to Gray for support.

Gray nodded in agreement, "Yep, we look out for our own."

"What are you guys? The Mafia?" Lucy teased.

"I'd tell you Lucy, but then I would have to kill you," Gray shrugged.

Juvia giggled at his joke, holding tighter to Gray's arm, "Juvia thinks it's cute that Gray-sama and Natsu care so much about Erza. They are good brothers."

When they entered the Steak house, they found Erza and Jellal sitting with Gajeel and Levy. They all stood to greet each other. Lucy was a little worried about the uncertain look Jellal gave Natsu when they approached. Then with his typical confidence, Natsu went right up to Jellal and shook his hand and pulled him into a manly, back patting hug.

"Long time man!" he said with his toothy grin.

"Yes, it has been Natsu," Jellal subconsciously rubbed his jaw.

Noticing the gesture, Natsu began "and look I'm sorry for . . ."

Jellal held up his hands with a big smile and stopped him. "No need for apologies, I deserved it. Just glad to see you guys again!"

The hostess interrupted their reunions to let them know their table was ready. They all wove through the restaurant to a hibachi table in the back. She left them with menus and a smile, disappearing back to the front. Erza was sure to separate Natsu and Gray, Lucy was excited to get a seat next to Levy, and Gajeel was glad that he managed to end up next to Juvia and Levy instead of one of his idiot coworkers.

After the waitress came and got their drink orders, Lucy whispered to Natsu, "This is so exciting, like dinner and a show! I hope we get a good chef."

Natsu grinned like a big kid, "I just can't wait for the fire!"

Lucy rolled her eyes and was about to make a comment when she was distracted by the arrival of the chef pushing his cart up next to their table. He was extremely short, his large head barely clearing the table. His unruly, orange hair stuck out from under his funny hat, and Lucy swore he sparkled.

He leapt up onto a stool in front of the grill and breathed in deeply through his nose. "Ahhh! Such a beautiful parfum at this table," he turned to Erza who was seated closest to him on his left, "especially the exquisite one in the corner right here."

Levy choked on her water and Lucy had to cover her mouth to hold back a giggle. Erza looked like she regretted her seat choice, while Jellal looked like he was having the time of his life at her expense.

The chef waved his hands dramatically to regain their attention, "I am Ichiya, I will be your chef for the evening, men."

Lucy looked at Levy with a face that asked 'is this guy for real.' Levy whispered back "See I told you it would be fun!"

Ichiya grabbed a couple oil squirt bottles, "Let me show you the parfum of passionate cooking!" He dosed the grill and lit it with a match. The whole thing went up in flames.

The whole table gave a collective "ooooo," except for Gray who acted unimpressed. Natsu grabbed Lucy's arm, "This guy is awesome!"

The chef began juggling and banging his spatula and fork, the whole time mumbling under his breath, "men, men, men, men." Lucy laughed into Natsu's shoulder, unable to keep a straight face, while he watched with delight like a kid at the circus.

Ichiya dumped a plate of rice on the grill and pulled out three eggs. He began to twist and flip one on his spatula when he turned to Erza again, "And how would you like your eggs this evening, my sweet," Erza's eyes widened. He laughed dramatically, "I joke of course, Smash!" He rolled the egg onto the grill and broke it with the spatula. After moving the shell away he broke the other two with flourish and began scrambling them on the hot surface. When they were cooked, he mixed them into the rice and added sauce, tossing the mixture on the grill with fanfare. The finished fried rice was pushed to the side and he added zucchini, mushrooms, and onions to the grill, chopping them with expertise. Every chop he muttered 'men,' making him sound like a child pretending to shoot a machine gun.

Then he pulled out onion rings and began stacking them. "I dedicate this to the delicate parfum in the corner; this is the fire of our love, men." Using a match he lit the onion volcano causing a huge flame to burst into the air. The whole table clapped in joy, except for Erza, who Lucy noted was starting to look like she did when Lucy told her there was no more cake.

He put out the volcano and pulled all the vegetables around it. He then filled the rings with sauce, gesturing to it as it bubbled over. He chopped up the onion, adding it to the other vegetables and mixing them together with the sauce. The smell made Lucy's mouth water.

He added shrimp to the grill, they cooked quickly. With a flick of his spatula he tossed them on plates starting with Gray. They all clapped, happy to start eating and amazed at his aim, until he got to Erza. "I feel destiny has brought us together," he said as he flicked a shrimp right into her ample bosom. She screamed and stood, flinging the hot food out of her cleavage.

Natsu tapped Lucy's arm, whispering excitedly, "Here it comes!"

Ichiya raised his hands in apology, "I am sorry, that wasn't very men of me."

But Erza's rage would not be subdued. "Buzz off!" she screamed, and she punched him so hard he flew backwards towards the grill behind him. He hit the floor and his hat hit the other grill, bursting into flame. The other table clapped uproariously, as if it was part of the show, and their chef smiled uncomfortably as he hurried to scrape the charred bits of hat off of his grill. Ichiya stayed down.

The manager came and had the two bartenders drag Ichiya to the back. She bowed apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, but you will have to leave. No charge, but you have to leave." Not needing another warning, the group rose from their seats giving their apologies, and headed to the front door.

When they got outside, they all decided to part ways. Natsu bounced into the parking lot towards his truck, "That was awesome! Best Valentine's Day ever!"

Lucy frowned, "We didn't even get to eat!"

Natsu wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, "Don't worry Luce, I've got a plan. You can count on me." Lucy smiled and leaned into him, letting her discontent drift away. She knew whatever he decided on would be great.

* * *

Levy was so disappointed, "I can't believe all I was able to eat was one shrimp!"

"So hungry you resorted to cannibalism? Gihihi," Gajeel teased.

"Gajeel!" Levy lightly smacked him on the arm. "It's just the night is ruined! What are we going to do now?"

"It's not ruined Shorty. This way we got to see everyone, we had a little fun, and now we have the rest of the night to ourselves. Let's go get a pizza, and we can rent whatever movie you want. I just wanted to spend tonight alone with you any way."

"Yea, okay," Levy wasn't feeling quite convinced.

Gajeel put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze, "Let's go out next weekend yea? You can pick wherever you want and look all fancy like you like. We'll have a real date without any of the idiots."

Levy rested her head against him and smiled, "You're so good to me."

"Gihihi, just giving you what you deserve Shrimp," Gajeel gave her another squeeze.

* * *

Jellal helped Erza into the Jeep and walked around to the driver's side. He couldn't stop grinning, the image of Erza punching the pervy chef kept replaying in his mind. He climbed in and turned on the engine and looked at Erza, she seemed to be trying to hide in her coat.

"I am so sorry for my behavior," she said.

"Oh don't worry about that, he should have known better than to throw shellfish in your cleavage," Jellal teased.

"What are we going to do now?" Erza sighed.

"Go get dinner. We have reservations at my friend's restaurant downtown." Jellal said matter-of-factly as he pulled the Jeep out from its parking space.

"You made other reservations?" Erza looked at him, a betrayed look on her face.

"Well, when you told me we were having dinner with Gray and Natsu, at a hibachi grill no less, I figured it would only be a matter of time before they kicked us out. If things had gone well I could have just texted Richard to cancel, he said he didn't mind. Granted I thought it would be Natsu or a combination of the two that caused our ejection . . ." Jellal looked over at Erza and smiled fondly.

Erza turned red and sank deeper into her coat, "I am so embarrassed."

"Don't be, I could watch you punch Ichiyas all day. That fiery spirit of yours is part of what makes me love you so much," Jellal chuckled, his eyes back on the road.

Erza turned even redder, but this time with a smile on her face.

* * *

Juvia sat in the running car, tapping on her thighs along to the music on the radio. She trusted Gray when he told her to let him handle it, but she couldn't contain her excitement and nerves at what he might choose. Juvia had been extremely disappointed that Erza punched the chef. It wasn't that he didn't deserve some kind of reprimand, but she had really looking forward to the scallops she had ordered. However, Gray assured her he would make sure they still had a good evening, and she would trust him.

The last month had felt like a fairy tale. She still couldn't believe Gray was hers. The kiss on New Year's Day had felt like a dream. Now every time he did something affectionate she worried she would wake up. He still struggled with accepting her affection, but Juvia knew that he had bounced from foster home to foster home before finding his way to Makarovs. All that rejection made it hard for him to understand his self-worth and trust other people's love, Juvia would give him time.

She spotted him coming out of the high end grocery store, paper bags in hand. He set them in the back seat and hopped up front. Gray looked over at her, seemed to think for a moment, and then gave her a quick kiss. "Let's head back to your place."

Juvia blushed prettily, "Alright Gray-sama."

After they parked in front of the house, they hurried in, escaping the cold night air. "How can Juvia help?" Juvia asked.

Gray shook his head, "Don't worry about it. Take a load off, I got it." He went to bring the bags into the kitchen.

Juvia sat on her couch. She leaned forward to smell the flowers in the vase on the coffee table, Gray had brought her them before they left for dinner. He could be so thoughtful sometimes. She watched him curiously as he ran out the front door. Moments later he came back in with an armload of wood. Setting it down near the fireplace, he set about using a combination of logs and newspaper to make a fire. When he was sure it was strong enough, he stood and headed back to the kitchen. "I'll be right back," he said with a wink.

He returned with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. After cursing and a bit of struggle, he popped the cork and poured them each a glass. He handed her one glass and left the other on the table. He held up a finger, "just one more thing, I swear."

Gray returned to the kitchen. Juvia sipped her champagne, feeling the bubbles tickle her tongue before swallowing. It was crisp and refreshing; the fire was warm and soothing. So far everything was perfect. Gray hurried back with her massive cutting board covered with food. He had a sliced loaf of bread, multiple cheeses and spreads, grapes, strawberries, prosciutto, dates, and some nuts. He smiled, "I also have a chocolate torte for dessert but I thought this might take us a bit."

Juvia put her hands to the face, "Oh Gray-sama it's so beautiful!" she exclaimed.

He sat down next to her, put one arm around her and used the other to gently turn her chin so that she was looking at him. "You're beautiful," he said quietly, kissing her softly on the lips. Juvia couldn't help herself, she started to tear up. Gray chuckled, "You've got to stop crying every time I compliment you. You're killing me here!"

Juvia threw herself into his arms, hugging him tight. "Juvia knows, Juvia is sorry. Ju . . . I will try to be less weepy. Gray-sama is just so sweet, it makes me so happy."

Gray chuckled into her hair, "You make me happy too Juvia."


	10. Hearts of Fire and Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy gets her Valentine’s Date with Natsu. (Warning NSFW content)

* * *

 

"So what are we doing Natsu? Do you want me to cook something? We could run by the grocery store." The cab of the truck was chilly and though it was just the two of them, Lucy sat in the middle of the bench seat so her body could suck up Natsu's warmth. How was he not freezing?

Natsu looked at her like she was crazy, "It's Valentine's Day, I can't let you cook. Let's go pick up some Chinese. We can run over to Macao's place, he's sure to get us hooked up quick."

"Okay, and if you run by the bakery I have a cheesecake and a chocolate cake left that we can grab, if you want," Lucy offered.

"Alright! " Natsu pumped his first in the air, then pulled Lucy closer with a squeeze. "That sounds fantastic! Let's run by there first, it's on the way."

"Are we going to eat at Macao's?" Lucy asked, looking for some clue about what Natsu had planned.

"No, we're going to my place. Now no more questions, geez Lucy, let me keep a few surprises," he winked at her and put his eyes back on the road.

After Lucy grabbed the cakes, they headed over to Macao's restaurant, Purple Flare Asian Bistro. "I've never been here before," said Lucy as she looked up at the neon purple sign.

"Oh man, you don't know what you're missing then, this place is the best! You've probably seen Macao or Wakaba a few times though; they go to Mira's often." He opened the door and guided her in, his hand on the small of her back. The place was packed full of happy, chatty customers. It smelled of ginger and garlic, Lucy's stomach rumbled, as if reminding her of what she had missed out on earlier in the day.

Natsu walked past the crowd waiting in front near the hostess desk and right up to the bar. Behind it stood a man with a mustache who Lucy had seen quite a few times sitting at Mira's bar. She had also often seen the brown haired man who was currently nursing a scotch while slumped over on one of the barstools. When the mustached man saw Natsu he raised an eyebrow, "I hope you aren't here looking for a last minute table because we're full to the brim Natsu. Best I can give you and your lady is a seat at the bar."

"Nah, I'm not that crazy," Natsu said with a smile, shaking the man's hand and patting the brown haired scotch drinker on the back. "Macao, Wakaba, this is Lucy, we just wanted to get some stuff to go, if you could swing it."

Lucy waved shyly and Wakaba gave her a big grin, "Hey there pretty lady," he said with a wink.

"Yea Natsu, of course we can," Macao pulled out a pad of paper, "what do you want, I'll take it back to the chef." Natsu proceeded to order basically half the menu and Macao didn't even flinch. This must be what he had been surviving on before he met Lucy.

"You looked all dressed up to go out on the town, how did you kids end up here?" Wakaba asked when Macao disappeared to the back to hand over the order.

"Well, we were over at the Hibachi place but Erza knocked out the chef," explained Lucy.

Wakaba doubled over in laughter, slapping his knee in joy, "That Erza is such a firecracker! What did the chef do to deserve that?"

Natsu grinned real big and held out his hands like he was holding two melons, "He threw a shrimp right in the middle of the twins!"

Wakaba smiled big and looked off with a dreamy expression, "Ah, to be that shrimp." Lucy gave out a shocked snort and covered her face, embarrassed at the unladylike noise. Natsu looked at her with a mischievous grin, as if he knew that was exactly what Wakaba was going to say.

Macao reappeared from the back room, "Just give the guys a few minutes and your stuff will be right out, I had them push it through."

"Thank you so much, that's so kind of you," said Lucy.

Macao waved his hand, "Oh it's nothing, Natsu's my best customer. He orders so much he basically keeps me in business. 'Cept this last month of course, I'm guessing you have a little something to do with that," he gave her a wink.

Natsu grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close. "Sorry Macao, 'fraid I've got a new favorite chef these days."

"Yea, it doesn't really look like I can compete," teased Macao.

"Where's Romeo tonight? I expected you to have him behind the bar," Natsu looked around the restaurant.

"The old man gave him the weekend off, the big softy," Wakaba grinned.

"He went off to see Wendy for the weekend. Can't have him losing his girl to those chumps at her college," Macao explained.

"Ah to be young again," said Wakaba with a wistful look in his eye.

"Your son dates Wendy? She worked for me at Christmas, she the sweetest thing ever!" said Lucy, glad to make the connection.

Macao smiled, "She really is, Romeo is a lucky guy. And that means you're the lady with the delicious sweets, Wendy brought us one of the trays you sent home with her on Christmas. It was tasty!"

Lucy blushed at the compliment, "Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it."

"Any time you wanna send that kind of stuff over, we're glad to have it," Wakaba gave her another wink.

Lucy stared off thoughtfully for a moment, "One second, I'll be right back." She grabbed Natsu's key from his pocket, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek with a giggle when she saw his surprised face. Lucy ran out to the car and grabbed the cheesecake. When she arrived back there were two large paper bags on the bar, it looked like their food was ready. Natsu leaned back on the bar and watched her approach, head tilted with a small smile.

"Oi, don't give these old farts my cheesecake, I was looking forward to that!" he whined, but she could tell from his smile that he was joking.

"Don't be greedy Natsu, we still have the chocolate one," she smacked him playfully on the arm. "Here, for you, Happy Valentine's Day!" she said cheerfully, setting the cake on the bar counter.

Both men stared at the cake with looks of glee. Wakaba leapt up from his seat and gave Lucy a big hug. "You're an angel! Don't ever let this one go Natsu!"

Natsu grabbed the bags from the bar and grinned, "Don't you think I know that already? Now stop drooling on her!" He turned back to Macao, "Thanks for getting us the food so fast, I'll see ya all later."

Macao waved, "No problem, you guys have fun tonight!"

Lucy waved and they were out the door.

* * *

Natsu paused at his front door and said a little prayer that he had tidied enough to not embarrass himself. He had planned from the beginning to bring her back here after dinner, so he had worked hard to make sure everything was presentable, but he wouldn't exactly call cleaning his strong suit. "The house is still a little bit a work in progress." He gave a nervous grin and rubbed the back of his neck.

Lucy smiled sweetly up at him, "I'm sure it's great Natsu."

Taking a deep breath Natsu opened the door and let Lucy into his tiny two bedroom cottage. She wandered in and after a moment exclaimed, "Natsu it's so cute!" Cute was not a word Natsu would pick to describe it. One of the rooms had all the walls torn out; he was in the process of putting in new electrical and insulation. His bedroom was basically just a futon since he hadn't had much of a need for anything else; luckily he kept that room shut. She stood in the living room which was probably the best part of the house; it only needed a coat of paint. It had a couch, coffee table, and TV. If she wandered into the kitchen she would see that half of the cabinets no longer had doors, he hadn't finished making new ones yet. Luckily if she had to use the restroom that was finished, when you only have one you make sure it's in good repair.

"Yea, it's a little small but it works for me," Natsu said. "I have to get something ready outside, do you mind hanging out here just for a moment? I want it to be a surprise."

"Okay," Lucy sat down on his worn couch. Natsu hoped she would stay right there. He wondered if maybe he should just bring her with him.

"I swear I'll be right back," he said. She looked so out of place in his ramshackle house, especially dressed up in her pink dress, like a flower in the mud. He really hoped she didn't mind.

"Natsu stop worrying!" Lucy waved him off, "I've got my phone, I am perfectly fine spending a few minutes on my own."

Natsu smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "alright." He ran outside and further up the hill to the large clearing where he had the fire pit. It was a perfect night for it, the sky was clear and the stars were all out. Lucy was going to love it. He worked on getting the fire going and took stock in his head of all the things he needed. He had the food, he made sure the large log bench was clean, he had a nice warm blanket for Lucy since, as expected, she had worn something completely impractical for being outside, her gift was properly hidden, and he had the sparkling wine and plastic cups. The fire was blazing now, he just had to get Lucy, and stop being so tense. Natsu didn't get how she could make him so nervous!

When he opened the door she turned to him with a grin, "All set?"

"Yea, come on," he said warmly. She hopped off the couch and came outside with him. He led her up to the clearing where she gasped in awe at the fire. "I really like it up here because, on a clear night, it's such a great view." He pointed up to the sky.

Lucy looked up, "Wow Natsu! You can see so many stars here! It's so beautiful!"

"I figured you liked stars since most of your appliances are named after constellations," Natsu said. "Not many people name their appliances, and they certainly don't name them after stars. You're a special kind of weirdo."

Lucy was still looking upward and grinning, "Yea, I like stars," she breathed out.

Natsu grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, giving her a deep kiss and snapping her out of her daze. He grinned, "Come on Luce, let's go eat, I'm starving!"

Lucy laughed and let him drag her towards the fire, "Of course you are! You probably haven't gone this long without eating in your entire life," she teased.

Natsu got her situated on the bench, with a blanket tucked around her legs, and started to pull out the food from the paper bags. Lucy was back to looking at the sky, her beautiful face illuminated by the firelight. He couldn't help but apologize, "Sorry this isn't some fancy restaurant."

"No, this is better," she looked at him, joy obvious on her face, "this is perfect."

He sat next to her, relieved, and gave a big grin. He opened a container and offered her a set of chopsticks. "You say that and you haven't even tried to food yet!"

Lucy grabbed a piece of chicken and brought it to her mouth, "Oh, wow," she moaned, covering her mouth, embarrassed that she spoke with her mouthful. She swallowed, "You were right Natsu, this is better than perfect!" She grabbed another piece of chicken and hummed happily as she chewed.

Natsu opened the wine and poured them each a cup. The two ate in happy silence, enjoying the warmth of the fire, the view of the stars, and the comfort of each other's company. Occasionally Natsu would glance over at Lucy and smile, a warm, overwhelming feeling of joy coming over him. He couldn't believe his luck that she could fit so perfectly in his life.

When they were finished, Natsu packed up the containers and pulled his present for her from behind one of the other benches. He handed the wooden box to her with an embarrassed flush to his cheeks, "I made this for you, I hope you like it. Happy Valentine's Day Lucy!"

She looked at the small jewelry box with a look of wonder, running her fingers over the burned image of a cherry blossom tree that matched the one she had hanging in her home. "Natsu it's beautiful!"

"Look inside," he said excitedly.

She opened it up and found the sterling silver star studs that he had placed inside. "They're adorable!"

"Do you like em? I don't know why, but when I saw them I thought of you."

"I love them!" Lucy pulled the earrings she had in out of her ears and replaced them with the stars. She grinned real big up at him but suddenly her face dropped. "Now I wish I had gotten you something more," she said with a frown. Lucy pulled over her purse and pulled out a small box. She gave him a small smile and opened it, revealing a bunch of chocolate balls. "They're truffles. I made half of them a little hot with some cayenne; the others are like chai spice so some cardamom and cinnamon. You know both spicy, like you like it."

"You didn't have to get me anything more, these look fantastic!" Natsu took the offered box and popped a cayenne truffle in his mouth. He closed his eyes and moaned in contentment. "Oh man, that's good."

Lucy stood, her eyes big and eager, "So you really like them."

"Of course I like them, you make the best stuff! You seem to know the way to my heart is through my stomach." He chuckled and pulled her close. Setting the box down on the bench, he kissed her sweetly and asked, "So what stars are we seeing tonight Lucy, can you tell me?"

Lucy's eyes sparkled, excited about his interest, "Yes!" She turned in his arms so that he stood behind her, chin on her shoulder and she pointed straight above them. "Look right up there; see those three bright stars in a row?"

Natsu followed her finger and found them, "Yea, I see them."

"That's Orion's belt, part of the constellation Orion the hunter. The bright star that has a reddish tint above the belt is Betelgeuse. It's a dying star and it's like five hundred times larger than our sun."

Natsu murmured in her ear. "So like, if I say its name three times will it magically appear?"

Lucy rolled her eyes, "No, it's not spelled the same as the movie Natsu, it's a little different. I'm afraid nothing will appear if you say its name three times."

"Bummer," Natsu hugged her tighter.

"And over there is Canis Major, he's Orion's faithful dog. The bright star that is basically his chest, that's Sirius, it's the brightest star in the sky because of how close it is," Lucy explained.

"Well that's cool," Natsu said, starting to nuzzle into her neck. The smell of her was intoxicating; Natsu felt an overpowering desire to taste her.

"And just below Orion is Gemini, the twins," Lucy began, but she didn't finish because she obviously had lost his attention since Natsu had started to nibble on her ear. Her gasp of surprise sent his blood flow south. He began kissing and sucking on her neck, smiling when he felt her melt against him.

She turned in his arms and placed hers around his neck, he looked down at her noting the heated look in her eyes and grinned slightly, "Sorry, you just smelled so good, I couldn't help myself."

Her lips were on his, her body pressed tightly up against him. He ran his hands through her hair and down her back. He wanted her so bad, it felt like his whole body hardened in response when she slipped her tongue into his mouth, but then his exploratory hands found the skirt of her dress and he was reminded of her bare legs. He began to see some flaws in his plan. Did he want his first time with her to be out in the cold air? The fire was dying and the only thing he had to protect them from the cold ground was the old blanket she had left on the log. He would have built the fire up more but he knew she had work in the morning and he would have to bring her home, unless he wanted to suggest she sleep on the futon. Damnit, he was going to have to buy a bed, and put cabinet doors on in the kitchen. Tomorrow he would buy a bed and finish the cabinets. Then he could build a fire the gods would be jealous of and give her a night she would never forget! He cursed himself for not having better foresight.

He kissed her deeply one more time, pulling her close to him practically growling in frustration, and then pushed back. He pushed her hair behind her ear and asked "Wasn't there chocolate cake?"

* * *

Lucy sat in Natsu's truck on the ride home feeling conflicted. On one hand the night seemed perfect, the fire, the stars, the gift, the dinner, the guy, that kiss, all great. On the other hand, now they were heading home and she was feeling extremely sexually frustrated. Lucy had never really considered herself someone with a voracious sexual appetite, being single for so long hadn't really been a problem for her. However, since the night in his garage, Natsu seemed to be treating her with kid gloves. They had been together over a month now and Natsu was always gentle and considerate, and Lucy was sick of it. She wanted to be grabbed and kissed senseless, she wanted passion, she wanted his hands and body everywhere.

"Is everything okay?" Natsu asked, looking at her strangely.

"Yes, I'm fine," Lucy said, trying to hide her blush and wondering if he sensed her thoughts.

"Sorry, I didn't realize how late it got; I hope you don't have to get up too early tomorrow," Natsu rubbed her thigh in what seemed like an attempt to be reassuring, but Lucy almost flinched at the sensation it sent straight to her groin.

She smiled sweetly at him in an effort to hide her thoughts, "Really Natsu, it's not a problem. It's totally worth it. That's what caffeine is for after all." She was going to have to take matters into her own hands or else the next time she saw Natsu she was liable to tear his clothes off in public.

When they pulled in front of her building Natsu grinned and said, "I'll walk you up." Lucy was thankful she didn't have to come up with a reason yet. She wrapped herself around his arm as they walked in together and tried to hide the way her body was tense and her breathing irregular.

They arrived at her door and Lucy turned to him, "Do you want to come in for a bit?"

Natsu looked at her as if he was trying to figure her out, "Yea, I'd love to."

She opened the door and he wandered in, tossing his coat on the couch and stretching his arms above his head. Lucy closed the door and stood there biting her lip, admiring the way the muscles in his back pulled on the fabric of his shirt. How was she going to this?

He turned a smiled, "What do you want to do now Lucy?" She decided the direct approach would be best.

Lucy walked straight towards him, dropping her coat and her bag, never losing eye contact. His smiled fell and his brow furrowed as he watched her come to him. She grabbed the back of his head with both hands and pulled his face to hers, kissing him firmly and urgently. His eyes widened for a second then closed as he began to return her fervent kisses, their tongues practically dancing a tango. He groaned into her mouth and grabbed big handfuls of her dress, pulling her so close that she could feel his body's hardened response to her. She started pushing him backwards towards her room, her breaths coming faster. She pulled off his scarf and threw it behind her, then started kissing his neck feverishly.

"Lucy?" he breathed out.

"Natsu, I want you, I want you now," she purred into his neck, not wanting to give him a chance to stop her.

He didn't need another word, with a growl he hefted her up in his arms and she wrapped her legs around him. He carried her into her room, kicking his boots off along the way. Natsu tossed her on the bed and began removing his shirt. Lucy giggled with glee and began unzipping her dress and kicking off her heels. She frowned when her zipper got stuck and hopped up, spinning in circles trying to reach the traitorous closure. "Natsu! It's stuck," she half whined half laughed.

He chuckled warmly and pulled her to a stop in front of him, gently placing her long blond hair over her left shoulder. "One sec," Natsu said, and she felt him pull the zipper down and, once freed, the dress fell to her feet. Lucy heard him exhale out loudly behind her. "Oh man Lucy, how can you be so beautiful."

She turned and laughed lightly at his pained expression, then biting her lip turned her attention to his pants, resting her head on his muscular bare chest. When they fell to the floor, he lifted her chin, kissing her as he used his body to gently nudge her back towards the bed. She fell backwards on to the mattress, taking Natsu with her.

His kisses began to move south, starting down the right side of her neck. She hummed appreciatively as she played with his soft hair. When he got to her chest his kisses turned to bites and sucks, and her hums became moans. He kneaded her breast through the bra and it suddenly felt too tight and restrictive, Lucy reached behind her to free the clasp. He pulled the released bra off of her and tossed it behind him. Natsu returned his attention to her breasts, this time making her cry out as he sucked and nipped at one nipple while using his right hand to play with the other. He grinned, pleased at her sounds and his right hand moved away from her breast, caressing down her stomach.

His hand found the edge of her panties and slipped in, exploring gently until they found her slick folds. His head fell to her chest and he groaned, "God Lucy! You're already so wet!"

She giggled unsurely, "Is that bad?"

He lifted his head to look her in the eye, an aching look on his face, "no, god no." He kissed her again and began to massage her sensitive nub, grinning into her mouth when she began to convulse, the shocks of pleasure making her lose control of her body. It felt like she was tingling everywhere and the desire to have him inside of her was becoming overwhelming.

"Natsu," she whimpered. He grinned at her and kept eye contact as he moved down her body. She lifted her hips and bit her lip as he removed her underwear. When his fingers entered her it was such sweet relief that she sighed. Then his mouth was on her clit and she began to lose control again. As he trust his fingers in and out of her while sucking and licking, her body began to rock with his rhythm , every muscle in her body tensing, her breaths coming fast and sharp. The sensation was so intense she almost couldn't stand it, Lucy felt like she was going to explode. Then finally she did, her body jerking as wave after wave of intense pleasure rushed over her, making her cry out with a noise she was sure had never come out of her before.

Natsu knelt back grabbing his face, "fuck Lucy, you don't know what you're doing to me!"

"I can tell a little bit," she said with a mischievous grin, running her fingers lightly along the hardened member still contained in his briefs.

Natsu looked up at her, his eyes widened in shock. She was too turned on to be shy, she begged, "Natsu, please, I need you inside me."

He grinned and removed his underwear tossing it on the floor. He started to climb over her then stopped, hissing in frustration, "One sec." Lucy whimpered at the loss of him, but he stood and grabbed his pants, pulling a condom out of the back pocket. After it was secure, he climbed back over her and grinned, "So you were saying?"

Lucy smacked him on the chest playfully and smiled back, "you're ridiculous." She kissed him again, nipping at his lower lip playfully. The kisses became deeper and less playful, and she felt him guide himself to her opening. He burrowed his head in her shoulder sighing as he entered her, "you feel so good." She hummed happily in agreement, running her fingers along the muscles of his back.

He began moving slowing, but his thrusts became harder and faster, and she began to lose herself in the movement. Her fingers started to dig into his back and her breaths came quicker and quicker, turning to whimpers and moans. She wrapped her legs around him so that he could get deeper and the feelings of bliss started washing over her. Lucy's body started to tense again, her sounds getting louder, Natsu's thrusts getting more determined, until her body combusted in sensation, writhing in delight, that strange loud noise coming from deep inside her. Natsu followed close behind, unable to hold himself back any longer.

He fell on top of her, his body warm and heavy. Lucy laughed, her cheeks flushed, a feeling of contentment and satisfaction taking hold of her, "I don't know what that noise is!"

Natsu lifted his head and grinned at her, kissing her nose. "I love that noise!" he buried his face in her hair and sighed, "I love you."

Lucy's eyes widened at his confession. She smiled, Natsu loved her. Should she say it back? Would she mean it if she said it back? It was a word she no longer doled out easily. He didn't seem to notice her hesitation; Natsu lifted his head and kissed her sweetly, then climbed off the bed. As he stood and stretched, Lucy couldn't help but miss the feeling of him on top of her. Then he turned to her and held out a hand with his big goofy grin, "Come on Lucy, let's go have some fun in the shower."

She grabbed his hand with a grin, but then her face turned to surprise as he threw her naked body up over his shoulder. "Natsu!"

Natsu laughed with mischievous glee, lightly smacking her backside all the way to the bathroom. When he let her down on the tile floor she scowled up at him, "You're going to pay for that."

Natsu grinned, "I was counting on it," and he kissed her deeply as he kicked shut the door.


	11. Make Room for All Ze Babies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levy gets an unexpected surprise and Mira decides it’s time to make some major changes in her life

* * *

 

March came in like a lion, throwing snow and ice everywhere. When the warmer weather finally arrived, it was unfortunately very wet and still too cold to be enjoyable, it made Levy miss the snow. She stared out the window, tea mug in hand, watching the rain pour on the cars in the parking lot. She knew it would be a quiet day in the store, rainy days did not bring many customers, but she had tons of online orders to pack before the delivery man came to pick up her shipments at the end of the day. Even so, the boxes and books lay behind her counter forgotten, and Levy continued to gaze out at the rain.

She had started the day pleasantly, coffee with Gajeel, a ride to work in his dry warm truck, and a kiss goodbye. She had come in through the back, made herself a cup of Earl Grey and unlocked the front door. Levy then checked the list of books and set them all out, sorting by shipment type. Next she had looked at the calendar, had a blissful moment of 'wow the time has really flown by with Gajeel, over three whole months now'. This had led her to the gut wrenching realization that she couldn't remember the last time their love making had been disturbed by a certain monthly visitor. Levy could not remember the last time it had been her time of the month!

She chewed on a thumbnail, and got lost in her thoughts. She was pretty sure there had been a week in January, but this February? Certainly not yet this month and March was almost over. Did she feel any different? She didn't think so; she hadn't been sick or anything. Levy didn't consider herself an irresponsible person, a little absentminded at times maybe but certainly not reckless. Wasn't this something that happened to irresponsible people? What the hell would she do now? Run out and get a test? She shouldn't leave the store. It took nearly half an hour of watching rain, drinking tea, and ruining her thumbnail until she was ready to do something about this predicament. She had to call in reinforcements.

Levy was finally packing her boxes when her front door was thrown open, bells chiming wildly. Cana pulled a bunch of pregnancy tests from her purse and held them up like she was doing a card trick. "Pick a test any test," she said with a huge grin on her face.

Levy groaned, "Cana! This isn't funny!" She threw herself down on the counter, dramatically trying to get her point across.

Cana walked around so she was right next to her and gently stroked her hair. "Don't worry Levy, it will be okay, no matter what the tests show."

"How could this happen?" Levy whined.

"Well with hips like that it's as if nature made you for baby making!" Seeing Levy's look of irritation, Cana smiled and switched gears, "Come on let's go see, just a few minutes and we'll know if we need a plan or if you just a crummy memory. No need to fuss until you see the plus!" Cana grabbed Levy's hands and pulled her out the seat.

Ten minutes later and Levy was staring at three plastic sticks. Two pluses and a double line, this wasn't good, this wasn't good at all. She put her hands on her face and stared at them wide eyed.

"Well shit," Cana said, resting a hand on Levy's shoulder sympathetically.

"I'm screwed," Levy whispered out.

"You know what we need? We need chocolate," Cana said decidedly. "Luckily, we've got what I hear is a fantastic bakery next door, with an owner who has a bad habit of giving friends free stuff. We'll lock the doors with an apology note, saying you had to close for the day. Let's get you something sweet and come up with a plan, okay?"

Levy nodded silently, not taking her eyes off the tests.

Cana gave her a hug. "I'll go write the note." Levy barely heard her, all she could think was how am I going to tell Gajeel?

* * *

At the bakery Lucy was struggling to roll out a batch of shortbreads, Natsu was being way too distracting. He had folded her in a hug from behind, which was fine at first, but then he started nuzzling and kissing her neck. She lightly batted him away and attempted to frown, knowing very well that the laughter in her voice gave her away, "Natsu! Stop! I need to get this finished!"

Natsu removed his arms and crossed them, "Aww Luce, you're no fun," he pouted.

Lucy looked at the clock on the wall, "Don't you have to get to work? Laxus will be cross with you."

Natsu came from the front this time, grabbing her by the waist and pushing her away from the table. He gave her a lazy grin, "I'll get there when I get there, he's cross even when I get there on time, a few minutes won't make a difference." Natsu kissed her and Lucy forgot the cookies, and the bakery, and Laxus, until the bell of the front door brought her violently back to real life. She pushed Natsu away and looked out into the front, feeling relief and embarrassment when she saw Cana's sly grin and Levy's look of shock.

"I've heard of love being an ingredient, but I didn't realize that was literal," teased Cana.

"Gross Cana," Natsu gave her a look of disgust.

"Hey, I'm not the one humping on top of the cookie dough," Cana laughed when Natsu stuck his tongue out. "Are you staying long? We need Lucy."

Natsu sighed, "I guess that's my cue. Don't worry I'm just leaving. I've got work anyway." He gave Lucy one more quick kiss and went to leave out the front. When he got next to Cana he said, "For your information, we weren't on top of the cookie dough, I made sure to move her away from it. The cookies are safe."

She patted his cheek and nodded patronizingly, "Sure you did Tiger."

"The worst Cana! Still the worst!" he yelled as he left out the front door.

Lucy smiled and went to wash her hands. "What can I help you guys with? Grab a coffee if you like and come on back, I need to get these cutouts in the oven."

Cana helped herself, while Levy trudged back, heavily taking the seat in the corner. When Cana had a mug in hand, she followed and leaned against the table in front of Lucy. She didn't waste any time, "Our little friend here is preggers."

"What!" Lucy said shocked, eyes wide, dropping her cookie cutter on the floor. "Ooops, damnit now I have to wash that one." She went over to her bin of cutters and picked a new one out. "How did this happen?"

"Well Lucy, when a man and a woman really love each other, or just think the other is attractive . . ." Cana began.

"You are killing me here with the jokes Cana!" Levy grumbled.

Cana grinned sheepishly, "Okay, okay. I'll stop. Sorry, I just hate seeing you so sad."

"Have you told Gajeel yet?" asked Lucy as she filled a tray with flower cutouts.

"No, I just found out fifteen minutes ago."

"Why don't you call your doctor and get an appointment? Then you can do a blood test and an ultrasound and know one hundred percent that you are pregnant. That way when you tell Gajeel there won't be any doubt," Lucy said.

"So the tests could be wrong?" asked Levy, hope shining in her face.

"It's not likely, but it is possible," said Lucy. "It happened to me once with my boyfriend in high school. It turned out I read the test wrong though, so glad I hadn't told him right away. He would have freaked and I would have been so embarrassed."

"Yea probably not likely we read them wrong, we did three of them. But definitely a good idea to go see the doctor, then you can figure out how far along you are." Cana grabbed Levy's phone and started scrolling through it. "Is your doctor in here? I can see about getting you in today, I'll drive you over, my shift doesn't start til late today."

"Yes, it's in there as Doctor Law," Levy said.

Cana went to the front for quiet and Lucy threw three trays into the oven. She turned on the timer and turned to Levy with a smile, "Just give me one sec." She wandered up front, grabbed a plate, and filled it with chocolate chip cookies; she then turned and made a large hot cocoa. When she got back to the kitchen area Levy was leaning forward, hiding her face in her arms. She set the plate and the mug in front of her and leaned over her to give her a big hug. "Don't worry Levy, we'll figure this out. Maybe it's all just some crazy fluke."

Levy looked up at her, tears starting to form in her eyes, "and if it's not?"

Lucy stood straight and gave her a big smile, "Then you will be an incredible mother with an amazingly adorable, book and metal loving baby. And he or she will have a huge group of aunts and uncles who can't wait to baby sit."

Cana came back from the front, "We've got an appointment in an hour!"

Levy hugged Lucy around the waist and smiled at Cana, "What would I do without you guys?"

"Probably lose five pounds and be less of an alcoholic," Cana answered.

"Cana!" Lucy and Levy groaned.

"What? That was an honest answer!" she defended, but her grin gave her away.

* * *

"I've decided to make the bar more family friendly, go a more restaurant/bar type route, what do you think?" Mira asked Cana while cleaning up the bar counter that night.

"I think that's crap," said Cana twisting her face. She was already onto beer number two for the evening and her shift just finished five minutes ago. "Just because everyone is going and pairing up, doesn't mean we need to change our lives to keep up with them. I like how things are here."

"Cana, I need to keep up with the neighborhood. Just look at Bisca and Alzack. They were in here all the time! As soon as they had Asuka they practically disappeared! Everyone is becoming couples and soon they will be getting married and having babies . . ." Mira leaned forward on the counter and sighed. "I just want to be part of that. I want a place where the babies can come!"

"Geez Mira, it's not like they're knocking them up yet," Cana sat back, snorting into her beer, hoping her face didn't give her away. Gajeel still didn't know and telling Mira was the same as announcing it with a megaphone. "Give the boys some time; we've got nine months at least."

"Well it doesn't hurt to be prepared!" said Mira cheerfully. "I have a new chef coming in to talk tomorrow, we can see if he will work out."

"We? You want me to come help you decide?" Cana rested her chin on her hand and looked up at Mira quizzically.

"Yes, that brings me to my next question, how would you like to become bar manager?" Mira asked, smiling big with her hands on her hips.

"Really?" Cana sat up straighter.

"Yea! I know I can rely on you. You're great at your job and you've become very good at waiting until you're off duty to start drinking. If I'm going to have this place running as both a bar and full restaurant, I'm going to need a management team, not just me. Elfman's gym is really coming along and now that Lisanna's a full-fledged physical therapist, I know she's not coming back. I need you!"

Cana smiled brightly, "that would be fantastic!"

"It might take a bit, but we could get a few more waitresses and another bartender. Some prep cooks for the chef. We'll be the real deal here." Mira got a dreamy look in her eye. "I've done really well for myself these last five years but I can tell the well is starting to dry up. I'm going to put my savings to good use and make this a place for everyone."

Mira's phone buzzed in her pocket. She looked at the text on the screen. "What are you up to? You closed yet?"

Cana smirked, "When the booty calls huh?"

Mira frowned and texted back, "Yes, we're closed but I'm going home, still not doing this anymore." She looked at Cana, "Nope, I'm an adult now. No more late night calls for me," she said, firming her chin.

Cana's wolfish grin widened, "Well I know a certain guy who won't be happy with that news."

Mira rolled her eyes, "Not my problem." She was almost thirty after all. Mira needed someone who would take her out, make time for her. She wanted a family; she wanted kids of her own. She could no longer waste her time with someone who was still a kid himself.

* * *

Levy stared at the ceiling. Gajeel was in a deep sleep next to her, snoring slightly with his arm draped over her stomach. She envied the way he could just lay his head down and be out, no worrying about tomorrow, no thinking through his day. Even on a typical day she would lay there for a while in the silence, on a day like today she wondered if she would sleep at all. There was something growing inside her and it terrified her.

She should have told Gajeel already. She had everything ready to tell him at dinner, she rehearsed what she was going to say in the mirror at least five times, but then he was held up at work. She ate by herself and when he got home he was so tired that he showered and fell asleep next to her on the couch while she read a book. Surely she couldn't wake him to tell him, he was so tired, she would wait until tomorrow. Levy knew it was just an excuse but she didn't care, she had to do this in a way that made her comfortable, she was just so terrified of upsetting Gajeel. So when she had closed her book and headed to her bed, all she did was kiss him awake and help him follow. No need to upset him, he was exhausted.

She stared at the sliver of window between her curtains, the moonlight just peeking in, and couldn't stop the tears that started to fall. How could this happen? She tried to hold the sadness in but it just made her body shake. "Levy?" Shit, she woke up Gajeel. Levy froze hoping that he would think she was asleep and he imagined it.

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him, lifting his head up so that he could look at her face, "You okay?" She opened her mouth to tell him she was fine but all that came out was a sniffling sob. She covered her mouth, mortified, and he rolled her over, his face painted in confused concern. "Shorty, why are you crying?"

She responded with another wail. "Shrimp you are kinda freaking me out, is this because I came home late?" Levy shook her head, keeping a firm grip on her mouth. "Is it something I did?" Levy shook her head again. "Well, what the hell Levy, why are you crying?"

"I messed . . . every . . . thing . . . up," she managed to get out between sobs.

Gajeel rose to a sitting position and pulled her into his lap. "Somehow I doubt that, ya sure this isn't because of me?" Levy shook her head into his chest.

He lifted her chin and wiped the tears from her eyes, "You gotta tell me Shorty."

She climbed off of him and wandered, sobbing, into the main part of the apartment, over to her purse on the counter. She searched its contents finding the black and white picture from earlier that day. Gajeel had followed her into the kitchen, rubbing the tiredness from his face. She handed the picture to him with a sniff, unable to think of another way to tell him without bawling.

"Is this what I think it is?" asked Gajeel, looking at the picture of a tiny black and white peanut. Levy nodded and reached for a tissue, blowing her leaking nose and wiping her eyes.

Gajeel's expression was unreadable as he studied the ultrasound. Levy found it extremely irritating, was he happy, was he sad? Would he help her? Would he leave her? What the hell was he thinking? "Gajeel, say something!" she wailed.

Gajeel looked up at her, "Well, fuck." He looked back at the picture.

Indignation finally cut through her sorrow, "What the hell does that mean?"

His face broke into a slow grin and Levy felt a weight come off of her heart. He looked up at her again but this time with a huge smile on his face, "Well this kinda bumps up the timeline huh? Gihihi."

"So you aren't mad?" Levy asked.

Gajeel looked at her like she was crazy, "Why the hell would I be mad?"

Levy hid her face, "I don't know, we've only been together for a few months, this is all so fast."

Gajeel closed the distance between them and pulled down her hands, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Yea Shorty, this is fucking fast as hell, but I love you. I've loved you for so long I don't remember what it was like to not love you. So no, I'm not mad, I'm surprised, I'm nervous as hell, but I'm not mad. Don't cry shrimp, this is good news alright? We'll make this good news."

Levy threw herself in his arms, crying into his chest, "I love you too! I can't believe we're going to have a baby!"

Gajeel stroked her hair with a smile, "Yea, it's gonna be one hell of a year huh? I guess we're gonna have to get a bigger place gihihi." He lifted her up in his arms and started carrying her back to the bedroom. "But for now let's get you to bed huh? Gotta get some rest while we still can."

Levy curled into him smiling into his neck, "yea, while we still can." When they got back in bed Levy fell asleep easily, curled up snug in Gajeel's arms.

* * *

The new chef was tall, cute, and had a strange scar on the left side of his face. With shaggy dark hair and bright green eyes, even Cana had to admit there was something attractive about him, that is, until he opened his mouth. After Mest introduced himself, he seemed to notice her staring at his scar, so he winked and said, "Bar fight, just had to know what a girl smelled like." Then, as if it was a completely normal statement, he carried on and started wandering around the bar, "This place is fantastic! Look at the lights, look at these tables! Are these chairs comfortable? I have to know!" Cana looked at Mira, a wry look in her eye.

"Don't judge him until we try his food," Mira whispered back, "he's just a little bit excited."

Mest had begun stomping on the floor screaming "What great acoustics!"

Mira grimaced, "Hopefully he'll calm down when the place is not so new?"

They were both worried when he had to touch everything in the kitchen, but then they tried his food! Cana had never considered herself a much of a gourmet, her love tended more towards a drug of the liquid variety, but his food made her mouth feel like it was going to explode. Apparently being so in tune, and crazy, about his senses made Mest a fantastic chef.

"I just want to create food that brings you back home and makes you never want to leave, you know?" Mest tried to describe his style while serving them his desert of a simple chocolate mousse with a raspberry puree. "I want you to taste things you didn't even realize you were missing, like the way a simple pot pie brings you comfort or some spicy tapas makes you want to get up and dance. How do you taste these feelings, how can food bring you somewhere new? You know what I mean?"

Mira and Cana just nodded enthusiastically, both knowing that no matter how nuts he was they couldn't let him leave. This food was just too good to have just once. It was exactly what Fairy Tail was going to need to make the difficult transition from bar to restaurant. There wasn't a doubt between them when they conferred after the meal, so before he left Mira shook his hand and said, "You're hired!"

* * *

Laxus knew it was late, but he didn't care. He didn't have anything to prove and he knew Mira had only left the bar half an hour ago. The woman was practically nocturnal. He knocked loudly on the door and leaned on the door frame, trying to feign nonchalance.

When she opened it his heart dropped, it was obvious that she wasn't happy he was there. "I told you yesterday I wasn't doing this anymore Laxus," she mumbled, but she didn't close the door when she turned and walked back into the kitchen. He hesitated for a moment and then followed after her silently, trying to figure her out. He didn't understand, what the hell had changed?

They had been going on with this arrangement for almost two years now. Ever since that fateful night when Elfman had gone out of town and a big order had come in ahead of schedule. What had started as a night of a friend helping a friend with heavy lifting, had ended in a tryst in the back office. After that he couldn't stop, she was like a drug; a sexy, blue-eyed, voluptuous drug. When they were with others she was just a friend, sweet little Mira, but when they were alone that tigress came out and they just couldn't keep their hands off each other. The sex was fantastic and their day to day interactions stayed light and easy. Why the hell would she want to give that up?

"I don't get it Mira, what did I do?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Nothing, and that's the problem, you never do anything," she said angrily, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed.

"Nothing?" the woman was nuts. What the hell did that mean? He walked over to her and pushed her hair behind her ear then kissed her just below the lobe, "So what we did last week, that was nothing?" he whispered into her ear. She made no effort to push him away and the way her body slightly shivered encouraged him. He grabbed her butt and pulled her flush against him, "All those times before were nothing?" He looked down, noted the heated look in her eye, and felt slight relief, she was going to change her mind. Laxus grabbed her face and bent down to kiss her hungrily. Mira was kissing him back and he couldn't help but smile. His hands began to make their way down her body, taking in her soft curves. When she pulled her mouth away, Laxus barely noticed, he just bent a little lower to kiss her neck.

"Laxus stop," Mira commanded. It was as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on him.

Laxus stepped away from her, holding out her hands, "Fuck Mira, what the hell?"

"I told you, I'm not doing this anymore!" she yelled. She pushed him further away and stormed out of the kitchen.

He followed after her confused, and turned on, and frustrated as hell. She was so hot when she was mad and he couldn't touch her. Why was she torturing him like this?

"Mira . . ." he began.

She spun quickly and held up a finger, "No Laxus, don't make this hard for me. I can't do this anymore; I'm not doing this anymore!"

"But why Mirajane? You've gotta at least tell me why," he growled, his frustration making him angry. He ran his hands through his hair, struggling to keep his cool.

"This isn't enough for me anymore Laxus. I need a partner not some . . . some . . . fuck buddy!" she spat out.

"Well if you're looking for some _boyfriend_ ," he couldn't help but sound sarcastic, he hated that word, "then I'm sorry Mira, that's not me."

"Exactly Laxus, you aren't what I'm looking for anymore," he looked at her shocked; tears were starting to form in her eyes. She covered her face and pointed to the door, "I really think you need to leave."

"Fine," he snapped, upset that she was crying, frustrated at her rejection, and pissed that he couldn't have her. He slammed the door behind him unable to control his anger. What the hell made Mira decide to ruin such a good thing?

* * *

Lucy sighed in contentment and rested her head on Natsu's chest. She ran her fingers along the muscles in his stomach, chuckling at the way they flinched. "You keep that up and I'm going to start tickling you back," he warned, lazily running his fingers through her hair.

Lucy couldn't stop thinking about Levy's dilemma, what would she do if she was in her shoes? She looked up at Natsu, "Do you think you want kids Natsu?" She asked, then cringed, was that something you asked someone you had only been dating a few months? Lucy hoped he wouldn't read too much into it.

Natsu looked thoughtful. Lucy relaxed when he looked down at her and smiled, "Yea, I want kids Luce. I think that would be fun. Do you want kids?"

"Yea, I mean not now, but eventually. At least two you know, I always hated being an only child."

"Two, no way! We need at least four, six would be best. Gotta have enough so we can have teams," Natsu grinned.

Lucy rolled her eyes and snorted, "Six! That's a lot of babies."

His grin turned mischievous, "Yea, that's going to be a lot of work, we should probably get started on that now."

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed as she was suddenly pulled on top of him.

Natsu gave her a serious face, "Okay, okay, just a practice run." He pulled her down and started kissing her neck.

"You are nuts," Lucy said with a grin.

"I know, you love it," Natsu gave her a toothy smile and rolled so that Lucy was underneath him. "I love you Luce," he said looking down at her.

She gently placed her hands on the sides of his face, "I love you too," she admitted sweetly and pulled him down for a tender kiss.


	12. Memories and Gingerale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is at the bar except the one person Mira wants to see

* * *

Mira smiled as big as she could at Wakaba's terrible joke, but her heart wasn't in it. It was Saturday night and the bar was packed with all her friends, even Lisanna had come in for the weekend. However, noticeably absent was a certain blond who usually stood a head above the rest of the patrons. It was her fault, she knew him well enough to know that he would act this way, but it hurt her none the less. Hadn't they been friends as well? Were they really at a point that without sex he saw no reason to continue a relationship with her?

She had known Laxus her entire life; he had been the boy two houses down. They were practically family, always in trouble together; as children it was pulling pigtails and kicks to the jewels, high school it was sneaking cigs behind the school and vodka from Makarovs basement. When her parents had their accident, he was the shoulder to cry on, and he and Makarov helped her get back on her feet and take care of her scared siblings. There was that one year that he had left, drank away a year of college and came back angry, but now that seemed like a lifetime ago. He had turned his life around, gone to technical school and now owned a successful contracting company. She had gone from bartending to owning the bar and soon would be the proud owner of a family restaurant. Mira sighed, had they severed that bond by giving into their attraction for each other. What if he couldn't be the man she needed, would she lose his friendship forever?

She didn't know when her feelings towards him had changed. It wasn't that she didn't think he was an attractive guy; it was that he was her friend. When he had gotten his act together, he started spending his nights here, with her and his friends worth having. Mira still remembered the embarrassed look on his face when he had asked if his band could start playing there. Soon it had become a regular thing, every Friday, a set by the Thunder Legion. He always looked so sexy on stage, maybe that was what started her feelings? All she knew was about two years ago one moment he was helping her lift boxes and when he took his shirt off she was like a moth to a flame.

This week he didn't come by at all. Then yesterday the rest of the Thunder Legion had come in giving their apologies, they couldn't play because Laxus had hurt his hand at work. Mira knew better, it was absolute bullshit. If he had really injured himself, she would have heard about it from one of the guys, Natsu or Gray would have teased him mercilessly. Mira didn't know what he was trying to prove, but his immature behavior was just firming in her mind that she shouldn't see him anymore.

"Are you okay?" Lisanna asked, placing her hand on Mira's arm.

Mira smiled another fake smile, this time knowing the recipient would be on to her tricks. "Oh, don't worry about me, I'm fine! Just dazing off I guess," she said cheerfully.

Lisanna looked unconvinced, "Well if you say so . . ."

"I do," said Mira, giving her little sister a hug. "I appreciate your concern, but I am perfectly fine." She tried switching gears, "Isn't it great so many people were able to come out! It's amazing what letting people know that my little sister is in town does. See you need to come back more often."

Lisanna frowned and looked out over the crowd, "Yes . . . it's really great, but I can't help but feel like we're missing someone."

Argh! Why was her sister always so on point? Mira needed more distraction, "Have you met Natsu's girlfriend?"

Lisanna turned to her with a smile, "Lucy? Yes! She's so sweet! I'm so glad for him."

"Isn't she?" said Mira, trying to hide her relief that Lisanna took the bait. "I knew from the moment I met her that they would be perfect for each other!"

"Well bravo! She's adorable and he seems so happy now! I was wondering if he was ever going to grow up," said Lisanna with a grin. "Those last couple of girls were absolute nightmares."

"Yes! And who knew Natsu could be so attentive to something other than food," Mira smiled but felt a little sadness creep into her tone. Even little Natsu could be a considerate boyfriend and here Laxus was acting like she asked him to give up a leg. Trying to hide her bitterness from her little sister she hurried on, " and it's like they are all falling like dominos, Gajeel and Levy, Natsu and Lucy, then Jellal came back, and even Gray with Juvia! Gray had me a little bit worried there," Mira noticed Macao motioning for one more, so she grabbed a mug to fill it from the tap.

Lisanna gave her a sad smile and hugged her from the side, "I guess that just leaves us huh."

Mira frowned for a second, frustrated that her attempt at distracting gossip had somehow brought the focus back on her. She slid the beer over to Macao and had a brilliant idea, "Cana!"

Lisanna looked confused, "what about Cana?"

"Cana doesn't have anyone; we should find someone for her!" Mira exclaimed.

"I don't know, she doesn't look like she's really looking right now . . ." said Lisanna unconvinced. She watched Cana who was currently at the end of the bar showing a group of college boys how to take body shots with tequila, salt, and limes. It looked like she was selling quite a lot of booze to the enthusiastic crowd.

Lisanna's response brought Mira to a time when frustrated about her failed matchmaking, she complained to Laxus about Juvia and Gray. Laxus just grinned and told her, "Just leave those idiots be, they'll figure it out for themselves. Why don't you worry about what you've got here in front of you?" Thinking about that made her feel a little bit flushed . . . and angry. What did he know? Look how happy they were now! Everyone was happy, and in love, and at her bar, having drinks . . . except for Levy. Mira honed in like a missile on Levy's water and saltines.

"Did Levy order anything to drink tonight?" Mira asked Lisanna.

"What? Levy? I don't think so." Lisanna should have caught that, maybe she was losing her touch after all.

Mira knew Gajeel was nursing the same scotch he had gotten when he came in and he didn't really care for anyone else driving his truck, even Levy. So Mira knew Levy wasn't driving, and those saltines . . . She had to test something. "I'm going to go bring her a gin and tonic on the house."

"Um, okay." Lisanna still wasn't seeing it. Mira was just going to have to fill her in later; she couldn't let this moment pass. She quickly dumped a shot of gin and a splash of tonic and tossed a lime on top. It was a little sloppy, but if she was right no one would drink it anyway.

"Ah, Ladies, how are we doing this evening?" asked Freed as he sat on the stool in front of them.

"Great Freed!" Mira said with a huge smile. "I just have to bring this drink out, I'll be right back. Lisanna can grab you something though!" There was no stopping her now, Mira was on a mission.

* * *

It had only been a week of knowing she was pregnant and Levy hated it already. It was like an emotional roller coaster, just earlier that day she had cried about a home security commercial. And she was supposed to be the one glowing and smiling but it seemed like Gajeel got all the good sides of her condition. He couldn't wipe the grin off his stupid face; he was going to give them away. That wasn't fair, she should be happy he was happy, just the morning sickness had started, which they really should rename all day sickness. Levy never got a break from the nausea and it was making her cranky.

She was really glad she did come out, it was so nice to see Lisanna and all her friends, but it was only ten o'clock and she was exhausted. She wanted to go home. Gajeel's scotch made her want to vomit, but she knew if he didn't have something everyone would know something was up. Thank goodness she had snuck the saltines in her purse. She was slipping a few out at a time, trying not to be obvious. She was not ready to tell everyone about the baby. So far only Gajeel, Lucy, and Cana knew, she wanted to keep it that way, at least until she and Gajeel had a real plan.

"Hey Levy!" Mira's beautiful face smiled down at her, "I brought you a drink! On the house!"

The bar owner plopped a strong smelling clear drink right in front of Levy. For a moment all she could do is stare at her, wide eyed, and try not to vomit. Gajeel sat back in his seat and blew out a sigh, practically admitting that they were caught. Levy wasn't going to give up so easily, "Thank you but I'm not feeling well tonight, so I'm not drinking," Levy tried.

"Oh no!" Mira said with a concerned face. "Is there anything I can get you? Something warm? Like some French onion soup maybe?"

Levy fought back a gag at the thought of onion. Mira could be so cruel. "Oh no, that would be way too heavy, but thank you," Levy attempted, wishing Mira would just go away. If she found out their secret, her joyous celebration would surely give them away.

Mira frowned, but there was a twinkle in her eye, "Of course, of course." Mira was silent for a moment and stared at Levy, her face then became thoughtful. "How about a ginger ale Levy, would you like one?" she asked gently.

"That would be lovely," responded Levy, suddenly horrified as tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. Who cries about ginger ale? Being pregnant was making her a crazy person!

Mira patted her arm and picked up the cocktail. "I'll be right back with it, I'll grab you some pretzels too," she said sweetly.

"Thank you," Levy said, in complete disbelief that Mira wasn't jumping around the bar singing.

When Mira left back towards the bar Gajeel said, "Well, that was weird."

"Yea, I know," said Levy. "This is probably just a temporary reprieve, but I'll take it. We're going to have to come up with a plan; we aren't going to be able to keep this to ourselves for very long."

Gajeel smiled and put his arm around the back of her chair, "Yea, I guess we can't hide anything from these nutjobs."

* * *

"Sorry Freed, she's a little bit out of sorts today," explained Lisanna, "what can I get for you?"

Freed smiled up at the silver haired girl, thinking how good it was to see her again. He thought for a moment and then asked, "Can I get a scotch neat? Preferably Glenlivet if you have it."

"Ooo fancy man," Lisanna winked and went to get it from the top shelf.

"When you work as much as I do, you might as well drink what you want to drink," he winked.

"How has that been going? Working with Evergreen," Lisanna asked as she poured his drink into a glass and slid it over to him.

"Surprisingly well actually, I'm glad we decided to make this partnership. We've been able to afford a very good administrative assistant by both handling her salary. It really helps me be able to focus on the real work and not get bogged down with answering the phone. And I've found having Ever there as a consult has been invaluable, tax law and estate law overlap often," he looked up at her, "and I have probably already bored you to death here."

"No, of course not Freed," Lisanna smiled and leaned towards him. "Why would that be boring?"

Mira ran up behind her and quickly filled a glass with Ginger ale. "I hope you aren't boring her with your attorney jargon Freed." She teased. Then she winked and stuck her tongue out then was gone in a flash.

Freed gestured with his hands after her, Mira had just given his explanation.

"That's just Mira being silly, I'm sure she doesn't actually mind," laughed Lisanna. "And I'm happy to hear about what you have going on; it's been so long since we were able to catch up."

"Speaking of your sister, we have a problem," said Freed, cutting to the chase. As much as he would enjoy a conversation about his work that didn't involve 'I'm dying of boredom' gestures, he knew his time was limited before Mira returned. "A problem that involves a certain someone who is noticeably absent tonight."

"Yea, where is Laxus? He's always here and the one weekend I'm in town he's nowhere to be found." Lisanna pouted playfully, "Kinda hurts my feelings."

"Surely you know it has nothing to do with you right?" said Freed.

Lisanna tilted her head for a moment, a contemplative look in her eye. "So you do know?" she tested.

Freed laughed lightly, "Of course I know, I know Laxus like the back of my hand, he can't hide anything from me. Although how everyone else has missed it is beyond me, one wouldn't exactly call them discreet."

"I guess people are just used to Laxus not explaining himself and Mira just seems too innocent these days. Easy to forget the girl she once was. Cana knows as well, but she's surprisingly good at keeping secrets." Lisanna smiled at the girl who was currently having a chugging contest with a few of the college boys.

"More like good at saving things for blackmail," Freed criticized but smiled fondly.

"What did happen with them anyway? Last time I was here it was like I couldn't get rid of him, he seemed pissed I spent the night. This time he even blew off playing yesterday, it's just weird," Lisanna scrunched up her face in concern.

"I'm not exactly sure, but my hunch is that Mira finally put her foot down and stopped the late night rendezvous. Laxus has been in a terrible mood all week and he's suddenly having all the time in the world to hang out at my place," he took a sip of his drink, enjoying the way it burned down his throat and took a moment to make sure that Mira was still out of hearing range. She had delivered the ginger ale but she was currently deep in conversation with Natsu and Lucy. That should give them a little bit more time.

"Well, what do you want to do?" asked Lisanna. "I like Laxus, really, he's already like a brother to me, but Mira deserves better than he's been giving. She wants a family, she wants kids, she can't wait forever you know?"

"I will be the first to agree with you that Mira deserves better, but I know that Laxus is capable of it. It's obvious to me that he cares a good deal about her, maybe even loves her, even if he doesn't realize it himself. He just needs some kind of push, some way to discover what he's losing," Freed mused.

Cana hopped on the bar between them, "You should make the bastard jealous. That always works for me." She stole a sip of Freed's drink.

"Cana!" Lisanna scolded.

"What? I needed something to chase down the piss water all those little boys were drinking. All they wanted was light beer, the princesses," Cana sneered in their direction. When one of them looked back at her, she quickly changed face and blew them a kiss.

"I will get you a new one, just give me a second," Lisanna reached for his glass.

Freed put a hand on hers to stop her, "Don't worry, I've been drinking here long enough to be used to it by now," he gave her a wink. "So Cana, how exactly do you suggest we make Laxus jealous?"

"Duh, set Mira up on a date; make sure Laxus sees them together." She hopped back over the bar so that she was next to Lisanna, she pulled Lisanna close. "Mira, how did I ever let you go? Seeing you with him just made me so angry, I'll do whatever you want just give me one more chance," she said in her best Laxus impression. She gave Lisanna a firm kiss and pushed her away. Turning to Freed she said, "Kiss, make up, everyone is hunky dory."

Lisanna put her hand to her mouth shocked, "Cana!"

Freed looked pensive, completely unaffected by Cana's bizarre behavior, "Yes, but how do we know that will work? What if Laxus just withdraws more into himself? What if Mira falls for the guy we set her up with?"

"If Laxus can't man up then he doesn't get Mira, seems pretty straight forward to me. For the first one we could just set her up with a dud, that way no risk of starting a love triangle. It will be her first date in like two years so I doubt she's gonna fall head over heels for the first one anyway," Cana said.

"The first one?" asked Lisanna.

"Well if Laxus doesn't take the bait, Mira should be able to be with someone good. That's my girl over there, she deserves the best." Cana said.

"And where do we find a _dud,_ as you put it," asked Freed, taking a sip of his drink.

"Oh, I've got the perfect guy; he's a real piece of work," she helped herself to a mug of a dark ale from the tap in front of her.

Mira finally made it back from her adventure throughout the bar, "So Freed, are you keeping my sister good company?" she asked with a smile.

Cana slung an arm over her shoulder, "Hey Mira, have I ever told you about my friend Azuma?"

* * *

Natsu was overwhelmed with excitement, he had worked really hard on his house the last month and Lucy was finally going to see it. He hoped she liked it, it was his house, but he knew all the repairs were basically for her. If he had never started dating her, it would still be exactly the same. Futon, unfinished spare bedroom, doorless cabinets; none of that had bothered him in the past.

When they pulled into his drive, he heard her sigh happily, "It's so pretty here, you don't bring me enough." His heart practically burst at her comment, God he loved her so much.

"Wel,l then I guess we should start coming more often," he said, sneaking a glance at her smiling face.

"I need to get a car I think, then you wouldn't have to come pick me up to get me over here," said Lucy. Natsu frowned for a moment; he liked driving Lucy everywhere, it gave him excuses to spend more time with her. It did lead to them spending a lot of time at her apartment though, he also hated when he was stuck at work and couldn't help her get somewhere. Maybe a car wouldn't be so bad; he would have to look into it. He got an image in his head of coming home to Lucy in his house. Yea, a car might be a great thing.

He parked in front of the tiny cottage and practically ran towards the front door. Lucy followed after him grinning, "Whats got you so bouncy?" She stood next to him her face tilted, smile bright.

He gave her a quick kiss and threw open the door, "I've made some changes since the last time you were here, but now I really need your help."

Lucy walked in, "You need my help?" Natsu had finished the cabinets in the kitchen and repaired all the walls. He was able to put in a whole new floor, thanks to leftovers from Jenny's indecision on that job in December, and the spare bedroom had all new drywall. The house had a bright, clean, unfinished look to it now.

"Wow Natsu! How did you get all this done?" Lucy wandered from room to room, mouth agape. This time he didn't mind when she went into his bedroom. He had a real bed, with a bedframe and end table that he had made a while ago. Finally the house didn't look like a college apartment.

"Well, Gray helped me some," Natsu admitted.

"And you guys managed to not punch any holes in the wall?" Lucy teased.

"Hey, I'll have you know we're professionals, we know how to take it outside," Natsu defended himself, grinning at Lucy's laugh. "I need to repaint everything, but I can't decide on colors, I was hoping maybe you could help?"

Lucy looked at him, surprise evident on her face, "You're going to let me pick the colors?"

Natsu had considered painting it himself but for some reason there was a part of him that wanted to make this theirs and not just his. He scratched the back of his head, feeling a little bit nervous, "Well yea, I'm not really that much of a decorator. Your apartment looks so nice . . ."

Lucy smiled big and threw herself in his arms, "I'd love too! That will be so much fun!"

Natsu hugged her tightly and smelled her hair, giving himself a moment to just enjoy the feel of her in his arms. Then he pulled back and grinned down at her, "Great! Let's go buy some paint!"

* * *

Jellal took a deep breath and knocked on the familiar door, hoping his nerves weren't showing on his face. It had been such a long time since he had been back here, nearly four years, and his last visit had not been pleasant. He couldn't afford to be a coward though, this would be important to Erza, and if all went well, he would be coming here often. It was time to rip off the Band-Aid.

The door opened and Makarov stood there staring at him with a serious look on his face. Then his lips curled up into a smile that reached his eyes. He stuck out his hand, "It's been too long Jellal, so good to see you."

Jellal felt his entire body relax in relief at the small older man's greeting. He took his hand and smiled back, "It's good to see you too sir."

Makarov turned and beckoned Jellal to follow him, "Come on in, I was just about to have a pipe on the back porch. Can I getcha something to drink?"

"Uh, no, thank you," Jellal followed the man in and a wave of nostalgia hit. How many times had he picked Erza up here? How many nights of hanging out with her in the back or sneaking into her room? There were photos everywhere of Makarov's adopted children and all the kids in the neighborhood. He found pictures of a younger Erza in a Kendo tournament, holding Gray and Natsu in a chokehold, with Cana on a beach, at Laxus' graduation, in her prom dress standing next to him. Her young happy face made him smile.

When he was younger, he never understood exactly how huge it had been for Erza to find a place here, to find family here. The old man was the only real parent she had ever known, her parents had died when she was so young and she had bounced from foster to foster, never finding permanence. Jellal couldn't appreciate that, with doting parents, he left them easily, ready to be free of their interference. He wished he could have appreciated that back when Makarov had been sick, that he had found some way to compromise. So many years wasted without her.

"So how have you been doing these days?" he asked as they walked out the back door.

Makarov pulled himself into his favorite chair and began stuffing his pipe. "Oh, I can't complain. Times are good and the old ticker hasn't been giving me any trouble." The old man chuckled and lit the pipe with a match, sucking in to pull the flame into the tobacco. He blew out a puff of smoke and looked pensive. "How have you been doing? Heard you had that injury."

"Yes, I shattered my left leg. It's doing much better now, doesn't bother me all that often anymore. Unfortunately it will never work quite the same so I guess I won't be going after any track records any time soon," Jellal smiled.

Makarov laughed good-naturedly, "Yea, I don't think I'll be doing that any time soon either." He pulled in another puff of his pipe and let the smoke slowly drift out of his mouth. "And what are your plans now? Since I'm assuming the military career is over."

"I've been going back to school to become a PA, I hope to work with Orthopedic Surgery when I'm done." Jellal answered.

"Hmmm, that's good, stable. What made you choose that?" asked Makarov.

"I just found it interesting when they were putting my leg back together and the Ortho office has been a huge part of my recovery. Just seemed like a logical place to go," Jellal explained, trying to think of a way to bring up what he had come to say.

Then, not wasting any time, Makarov gave him his opening, "Look son, I don't want to rush you or anything, but is there a reason you wanted to meet me today. As much as I love catching up with you after all this time, I get the feeling you didn't come here to watch me smoke a pipe in the backyard," Makarov winked and sat back in his chair, taking another puff of the wooden pipe.

Jellal blew out a breath and sat up straighter, "Yes sir, I have a very important thing to ask of you."

"And what would that be?" asked Makarov crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sir, I'd like your permission to ask Erza to marry me," Jellal said, doing everything in his power to not show his nerves. If Makarov refused him, he had no back up plan and he knew this would be something that would be important to Erza. His future lay in the small old man's hands.

Makarov stared at him for a moment, but he couldn't hide the twinkle of amusement in his eye as he watched Jellal attempt to put on a brave front. A slow wide grin spread on his face, "Well it's about damn time!" he exclaimed.

Happy relief settled over Jellal as he grinned back, "So I'll take that as a yes?"

Makarov laughed and set his pipe down on the table and hopped to his feet, "Yes, yes! Of course! This is wonderful news! Come on, let's go back in. This occasion deserves a celebratory drink!" Jellal smiled and followed him into the house, enjoying the tiny man's excitement. Part one complete, now just to come up with a proposal worthy of Erza.


	13. Serious Pick-ups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gray buys a truck from Juvia’s ex and Mira’s blind date does not go exactly as planned.

* * *

 

Lucy awoke to the sun shining in her face. She opened her eyes and thought how nice curtains would be on the large window next to Natsu's bed. When he woke, she would have to see if Natsu would let her get some. He lay sprawled out in a way that his body nearly took up the entire queen sized bed. There was a streak of green paint on his shoulder that they had missed during their shower the night before. Really they had been pretty distracted during their shower; there probably was still a lot of paint on both of them. She bit her lip and thought maybe they needed another shower this morning, just to be sure.

He opened one eye and grinned slyly at her, as if he could sense her dirty thoughts. He reached out and pulled her close to him, "Morning Luce." He kissed her and lazily ran his hands up and down her back, giving a hum of content.

"We need curtains in here," she said, nuzzling into his chest.

Natsu opened one eye and regarded her lazily, then gave her a half grin, "Why? Worried somebody's watching you through the window? I'm pretty sure were the only ones around."

Lucy laughed into his throat then purred, "How am I supposed to spend the day in bed with you when the sun blazing in my eyes?"

"Hmmm, you make a good point," he said, rolling over and squinting at the window. "Oh well, nothing we can do about it now," he threw a pillow over her face so that it covered her eyes and left her mouth open, "there all better!"

"Yes, this solves everything," grumbled Lucy sarcastically.

"It's perfect, no sun in your eyes and all the rest of you is still accessible for torture," he laughed maniacally and began tickling her stomach.

"Natsu!" Lucy tried to remove the pillow but he held it firmly over her eyes.

"No Lucy, don't move the pillow! You might be blinded!" he said in a serious tone, trying to contain his laughter.

Lucy was having trouble speaking, her giggles had become so intense, "Nat . . .Natsu . . .st . . .st . . .stop it!" She attempted to swipe at his hands but was easily thwarted. Natsu climbed over top of her and pinned her arms over her head.

"Lucy," he teased through his teeth, "if you keep fighting me, the pillow is going to come off!"

"I want the pillow off you moron!" Lucy said through grated teeth.

Natsu chuckled, obviously amused at her furious reaction. He leaned over and kissed her just beneath the ear and murmured, "Ah, but Lucy, I was just getting to the good part." He lifted the pillow and smiled down at her.

"You are a real pain in the ass, you know that?" said Lucy, smiling up at him.

"Yea, but you love it," he said, bending over to kiss tenderly on the lips.

* * *

Natsu drank his coffee watched Lucy making bacon and eggs at the stove while he sat at the small kitchen table. Man, he loved having her here. Sure, he liked Lucy's place too but there was nothing to do there but watch TV. He wasn't really a man who liked to sit still for very long. He should set her up a desk in the workshop too, then she could write there and keep him company. Natsu felt like he could never tire of spending time with her, having her with him just made things more fun. These days it was when he was without her that he had trouble focusing.

The house was looking great, Lucy really had a talent for color. Probably if left to his own devices he would have just grabbed whatever was available on the discount rack. Now the large open living and dining room was a calming sage green and the spare room a nice blue-gray. She let him do a burnt orange accent wall in the kitchen, but had vetoed the bright red for the bedroom. Really Natsu had only suggested it to get a rise out of her, he just couldn't help himself. Today they were going to paint his room the pebble color she had picked out. Getting curtains and bedding was a little bit further than he would have taken the decorating, but for more mornings like this one he could let her get some overpriced fabric.

It sucked that tomorrow they would both be back to work. Natsu wished these days with her could last forever. He watched her as she hummed and swayed to the music in her head, flipping an egg in the pan. When she looked up at Natsu and caught him watching her, Lucy smiled sweetly and her cheeks flushed, but she went back to her cooking and humming. He couldn't help but contentedly sigh, he really was a lucky guy.

* * *

Mira stood outside the restaurant, waiting for her blind date. She was already regretting this, maybe she wasn't ready to date yet. It had been two weeks now and still no word from Laxus. Last night her longing for him had been painful. Her loneliness had made her so weak that she had typed at least a dozen texts of apology that she luckily still had the strength to delete. She had to maintain her resolve, she couldn't let him win! There was no future with Laxus, he had made it clear. The man wasn't even comfortable coming out as a couple; he certainly would never be comfortable with marriage or children.

A large, muscular, dark man approached her, "Mira?"

She attempted to smile brightly, "Yes! Are you Azuma?" She took a moment to take him in, thinking Cana may have gotten this right. He was at least her type physically, with strong features and a tall, muscular physique. All of this, of course, went out the window the moment he opened his mouth.

"Yes, you are not what I expected," Azuma frowned, "Cana may have exaggerated when describing you."

Mira's face dropped, how rude of him! "Is that so?" she asked barely containing her outrage.

"Yes, but I supposed you might do. Before we go in to the restaurant, I have to ask a few questions. I don't like to start things unless I know for sure the woman is serious," Azuma started. Mira's brows pulled down together, she was going to have to have a long talk with Cana.

* * *

Freed pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant Cana had told him Mira would be at.

"What are we doing here?" asked Laxus from the passenger seat. He looked curiously out his window.

"Well you said you wanted to try some new places, I thought we could try getting a drink here," explained Freed.

"Is that Mira? What the fuck are you pulling Freed?" Laxus's irritation was apparent by the tone of his voice and the redness in his face. Freed followed the direction of Laxus's stare to see that Mira was, indeed, standing right in front of them, plain as day.

"Laxus, I didn't . . . I don't know why . . ."Freed struggled with how to explain. What was Mira doing outside? Shouldn't they have already started dinner by now?

"Shit, she doesn't look very happy," Laxus threw open the door and pulled himself out of the car, slamming the door behind him.

Freed hurried to follow him, thinking at least if Laxus fought the guy it would be outside and not in the middle of the people enjoying dinner. He was already of the mindset that maybe Cana's plan had been a terrible idea to begin with.

* * *

Mira had had it with this creep. Why the hell would he need her medical history anyway? Now he had started asking her about her sexual preferences and her temper was just about hit the boiling point.

"Now, when it comes to the bedroom, how comfortable are you with bondage?" he asked, not an ounce of humor in his tone.

Mira was shocked. She slapped his face as hard as she could, "Enough! I wouldn't have dinner with you if you were the last man on earth!"

To her horror, he turned his face back to her, smiling for the first time since they met, "Yes! You are so strong, now I know you can be serious. This changes everything."

She opened her mouth, ready to lay into him when a voice came from behind her, "I think that Mira has made it clear she is not interested in continuing this conversation with you."

Mira turned to see Laxus, of all people, staring bullets at Azuma. Azuma considered him for a moment then looked down at her again. "Fine, she was a waste of my time anyway."

Laxus watched the man leave without making a sound, completely ignoring the pleading look Mira was giving him. She wanted him to say something, anything, she had missed him so much! He didn't even acknowledge Freed when the man finally managed to run up behind Laxus and tap him on the shoulder. When Azuma had gotten in his car and driven away, Laxus turned heel, not offering so much as a hello and stormed back to Freed's car.

Freed stood there, completely at a loss on how to handle the situation, watching Laxus mouth agape. He turned back to Mira and his eyes softened at her confusion, "Sorry Mira, we shouldn't have come here. I . . . I . . . I'm so sorry."

Mira breathed deeply as she watched him retreat to his car where Laxus sat, staring unabashedly at her with a deep frown on his face. It felt like her heart was going to explode, it beat so fast with rage and longing. They continued to stare at each other as Freed started the car and pulled out of his spot. Laxus was the first to break contact when he turned to say something to Freed, but Mira watched the car for as long as she could before they disappeared out of sight. This had turned into a very frustrating day.

* * *

"So are you sure this is the best place for me to buy my new truck?" asked Gray when they pulled into the lot.

"Of course Gray-sama! When I got my Toyota Bora got Juvia a fantastic deal," said Juvia cheerfully.

Gray narrowed his eyes, "Were you sleeping with him at the time?"

"Gray-sama!" Juvia looked scandalized but the blush of her cheeks told Gray all he needed to know. He frowned and looked out the window, trying to hide his displeasure. He had no right to criticize who or what she did before her time with him, but it still stung all the same. He hated that feeling.

Gray had been taking it slow, not wanting to rush things. He and Juvia still hadn't been intimate to that level yet. There was still a part of him that felt if he gave all he had to this relationship, she would suddenly up and disappear. It was as if he was fighting a constant battle in his heart, he sometimes lost the struggle and pulled back, hurting Juvia's feelings. He knew he had to shake himself out of his dark cloud, he looked at Juvia and she gave him a sunny smile. Thank god for her patience.

He, however, was not patient. Five minutes into meeting him, Gray was ready to punch Bora in the face.

"Juvia, you look so beautiful today, how lucky am I to have you back at my lot," Bora gushed, grabbing Juvia's hands.

"Thank you Bora, Juvia is happy to be here," Juvia smiled.

"So what kind of car are you looking for?" asked Bora

"Oh no Bora, not for Juvia, the car is for Gray-sama," Juvia motioned to Gray.

Bora gave him a tight-lipped smile, "Oh, hey buddy, what are you looking for today. Some kind of hatchback? Maybe a Miata?"

Gray rolled his eyes, this was a terrible idea, "I need a Full-sized pick-up."

Bora looked Gray up and down in distaste and sighed, "Of course," he motioned them to follow, finally letting go of Juvia's hands. "I have a few good options on the other side of the lot, follow me."

The first two trucks he tried to show them were absolute crap. Gray could tell they had obviously been in accidents, and the next few were duds as well, each with it's own issue that Gray couldn't overlook. It took Bora being completely distracted by one of his fellow car dealers with a question for Gray to be able to find the truck he wanted. It was four-wheel-drive, had a good towing capacity, a comfortable looking cab, and low-mileage. The body was in great shape, he couldn't find any rust, and everything looked great under the hood. It was perfect, he would finally be able to get his equipment to a job site without having to rely on one of the guys. When he searched for a price though, he couldn't find it anywhere.

"Are you all ready to look at something else?" asked Bora, returning to them and placing a hand firmly on Juvia's shoulder.

"How much is this one? I don't see a price anywhere," said Gray.

Bora waved him off, "Oh, you don't want that one, it just came in, we haven't had a chance to inspect it fully."

Juvia got a crazy look in her eye, "Is Bora saying Gray-sama can't have the car he wants?"

Bora held up his hands in a defensive posture, smiling nervously, "No, no, of course not baby! Tell you what, for you guys, how about thirty-seven grand."

Gray was about to turn him down, the price wasn't horrible but it wasn't great, he knew he could do better elsewhere. However, Juvia beat him to the punch, "First Gray-sama can't have the truck and now Bora is trying to rip Gray-sama off!" Gray crossed his arms and smiled a little smile, deciding he could just let his girlfriend handle this one.

Bora looked terrified as the tiny blue-haired woman stood on tippy toe to look at him eye to eye with her tiny fists clenched. "Look Juvia . . . a guy's gotta . . .a guy's gotta make a living . . . you can't expect me . . . to just . . . to just give it away!" he stuttered out.

Juvia furrowed her brow, "Juvia is not asking Bora to give the truck away, Juvia is asking Bora to give a fair price! Or maybe Juvia should have a little talk with Bora's boss about why Juvia and Bora are no longer together."

"No, no, no. Let's not be hasty." Bora pursed his lips, "Fine Juvia, for you twenty-seven grand. That's my final offer."

Juvia turned to Gray with a sweet smile, "Does that work for you Gray-sama?"

"Yea, I guess that could work," he said, turning to look at the truck as if unconvinced.

"Seriously!" Bora yelled, "That's like what we paid for the stupid thing!"

Juvia tapped her lips thoughtfully, "We will take it, but we need a thirty-day guarantee. If anything breaks down on this, you will fix it."

Bora slumped over defeated, "Fine, come along then, let's get this written up."

On the way to his office, Gray and Juvia trailed behind. Gray wrapped an arm around her waist and whispered, "So, why did you and Bora break up?"

Juvia smiled and whispered back, "Let's just say Juvia caught Bora giving his boss's wife a wild ride in one of the cars on the lot."

Gray was shocked, "Oh Juvia, I'm so sorry that's awful!"

Juvia laughed, "Don't worry Gray-sama, Juvia knew Bora wasn't the one for her, Juvia actually was on her way to break it off at the time. And how else do you think Juvia got such a good deal on her car?"

Gray looked at her and smiled, he guessed he had been wrong from the start. Juvia just kept surprising him, and he was finding he liked it.

* * *

"It was terrible Cana, I have never been so mortified in all my life," Freed fell forward, resting his head in his hands as he sat at the bar.

Cana pulled down a glass to get him a single malt and tried to smile reassuringly, "Come on now, it couldn't have been that bad."

"We got there and Mira was fighting with that man out front! I thought Laxus was going to punch him, but thank goodness the man didn't start anything. One look at Laxus and he left."

Cana frowned, "Really? Damn, I thought he was going to punch him. Nothing like a good fight to get the blood pumping."

"You wanted them to fight!" Freed was livid. Somehow that part of the plan had been left out in their previous conversation.

"Yea, Laxus is a caveman, he needs to actually fight for his woman. What I don't understand is why Azuma turned him down, Azuma fights anyone," she furrowed her brow pensively. "Laxus must have looked really furious for Azuma to back down."

"And you were going to tell me about the brawl part when?" asked Freed, in complete disbelief at the woman in front of him. "For god's sake woman, because of this whole idiotic plan, Laxus is no longer speaking to me!" He rubbed his temples with both hands, trying to fight the stress headache he could feel approaching.

"Yea, Mira's pretty pissed at me as well. That's why she's working in the back office instead of here. Well, she's kinda just pissed at the world in general, she made all these plans to change this place into a restaurant, but Laxus won't take her calls now. She was planning on using him and the guys to remodel the place." Cana raised her head at the opening of the door, in walked Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Juvia. She smiled, "Well speak of the devils themselves."

Natsu looked at her warily, "Why do I get the feeling I should leave quickly?"

Gray frowned and stood next to Natsu arms crossed, "Yea, if you're talking about us it's rarely a good thing."

Cana stuck her tongue out, "Look at my family, so loving," she said sarcastically. "Really though, can you guys go talk to Mira, she wants to do some renovations in here but she can't get a hold of Laxus and it's making her crazy."

Both guys got a fearful look in their eye, "Like how crazy?" whispered Natsu.

Lucy laughed, "Surely you can't be afraid of Mira!"

"You don't know her like we do Lucy," said Gray.

"Yea, she can be pretty scary," Natsu trembled.

Cana waved off their worries, "Nah! She'll be happy to see you guys. You will be the saviors of the day!"

Gray noticeably relaxed and Natsu grinned, "Oh, okay." He turned and gave Lucy a quick kiss, "I'll be right back."

"Ack, you guys are so cute it makes me want to barf," said Cana, feigning disgust.

Natsu just rolled his eyes and headed to the back with Gray.

When Lucy and Juvia took the seats next to Freed, Lucy asked "What is up with Mira anyway? She hasn't seemed her typical cheerful self."

Freed gave Cana a look of warning, not wanting the brunette to bring more people into the mess that was Mira and Laxus. She winked at him and replied, "Oh, she just had a really terrible blind date and she's a little bit down about it. "

"Why would Mira need a blind date? She's so beautiful I would have thought she could pick up someone anywhere," mused Lucy. "Then again, I don't think I've ever seen her with anyone the whole time I've known her, at least I don't think . . ."

"She just works a lot," Freed was relieved when Cana cut her off, knowing Lucy was intelligent enough to put two and two together if she really tried. "I thought the guy would work for her, but he ended up being a bigger asshole than I remembered."

"You were probably too drunk to remember," said Freed sharply. Cana just shrugged.

"Well, what is Mira looking for in a guy?" asked Juvia.

Cana smiled mischievously, making Freed wonder why he had tried to work with her at all, she was the devil. "Well, you know, extremely tall and muscular, honest to the point of being blunt, kind of an asshole, musically inclined, sense of humor is optional," Cana said.

Lucy scrunched up her nose, "Are you sure? That doesn't really sound like all that great of a . . ."

"Juvia knows the perfect man for Mira!" exclaimed Juvia.

"Really?" Cana, Freed, and Lucy all looked at Juvia in disbelief.

Juvia threw her hands up in excitement, "Yes! We have a new electrical engineer at work named Orga, and he was just telling Juvia yesterday how hard it is to meet a good woman these days. They would be perfect! Well, except Orga might not be quite the asshole Mira is looking for."

"You say that like it's a bad thing!" exclaimed Lucy.

As the girls continued to discuss their matchmaking plans, Freed grew quiet, unable to fully hide the look of worry on his face. He couldn't help but feel like his best friend was letting the love of his life slip through his fingers. What the hell was Laxus thinking?

* * *

Mira rested her head in her hand, staring forward at nothing. She had already cleaned up all the file cabinets, finished the scheduling for the month, and planned out her whole remodel. She was bored of paperwork. She should really join Cana out front, but her anger at the whole date fiasco was still simmering. Why did Cana set her up with such a disturbed man?

There was a knock in the doorway and she looked up to see Gray and Natsu's concerned faces. "Hey Mira, Cana said you might need us?" asked Gray.

Mira smiled big, "Yes! I want to do some renovations, but I haven't been able to get a hold of Laxus." She held out her paper that listed all the things she had decided she wanted to do. "Is there any way you guys could give me a quote and a timeline to get all these things done?"

Natsu took the paper from her and looked it over, "Yea, sure Mira, no problem."

Gray looked over Natsu's shoulder, "When do you want to get started on this?"

"As soon as possible, I already have a new chef coming in. I'm all set right now to close for a week or two in order to revamp the dining area."

"Cool, I'm supposed to work with Laxus tomorrow, I'll see how we can fit this in the schedule and get back to you tomorrow night," said Natsu.

"Great!" said Mira a little too cheerfully, she hoped they didn't notice her flinch when Natsu said Laxus's name. Would he help with the work? Or just send the other guys? It probably wasn't a good idea to dwell on it. She stood and came around the front of her desk. "Well, I have to go up front so that Cana can get out of here, her shift is almost over, you guys want to come with?"

"We'll be right up, I think we'll look at the kitchen first and make sure we have all the information we need to plan the job," Natsu gave her his signature grin and Gray gave her a nod. She smiled sweetly back and headed to the bar.

When she arrived she noticed Freed looked completely miserable and the girls were all huddled together talking excitedly. She popped in the bar next to Cana and asked with a smile "What's going on girls?"

"Juvia has the perfect man for you!" said Juvia proudly.

"Oh," Mira's face dropped, "This isn't someone Cana knows, is it?"

Cana winked and set a hand on Mira's shoulder, "Never met him in my life, you're safe."

"Well okay, I guess I'll try one more date, but if this goes anything like the last one, I am done with blind dates!" she shook a finger at Cana.

Cana gave her a salute, "You're the boss!"

Unable to keep from mothering, she turned to the frowning man next to them, "Is everything okay Freed?"

"Uh, yes, why of course it is," he gave a forced smile. "You know I just remembered some paperwork I had to get finished up at the office." He stood, throwing some cash down on the bar next to his barely touched drink. "If you ladies will please excuse me," he said with a bow of his head, and left out the front door.

"Do you mind if I head out too? There's someone I need to go see," asked Cana.

Mira shook her head, frowning still about Freed's sudden departure, "I've got everything covered."

"Great!" said Cana, stealing Freed's drink and heading to the back to grab her things.

"So Juvia," started Mira, her face lifting back into a smile, "tell me about this guy . . ."

* * *

"What the hell are you doing Laxus?" came Cana's voice with the opening of the sliding door to the porch.

Laxus frowned, annoyed at having his peaceful evening ruined by her squawking. "What does it look like Cana, I'm having a cigarette," he said, taking a drag and blowing smoke out into the crisp night air.

"I thought you didn't smoke anymore," said Cana, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at him.

"I don't," Laxus answered simply.

Cana sighed in exasperation, "Anyway, I don't mean what are you doing here right now, I mean what the hell are you doing with Mira."

Laxus raised a brow, "I don't want to talk about it Cana."

Cana straddled the chair next to him, "Well you are going to, I'm not leaving until you do."

Laxus cut his eyes at his adopted sister, but didn't say a word. He blew more smoke into the night sky. He had thought he could avoid everyone by spending a quiet evening at the old man's house, obviously he was wrong.

"Laxus, it's clear you care deeply for her, why are you just avoiding her like this?" asked Cana gently.

"Why are you setting her up on dates with assholes like Azuma?" he asked, turning it back on Cana.

"How do you know Azuma?"

Laxus gave her a look of disgust, "Tch, you would forget you damn alcoholic. Don't you remember the last time you went out with him? I had to beat his ass to get him out of your apartment!"

Cana sat up straight, surprised, "Oh! Well that explains a lot." She looked back at Laxus again, "But that doesn't explain why you are avoiding her."

"Let it rest Alberona, I'm not in the mood," Laxus warned.

"I don't give a shit if you're in the mood. My friend is in tears and you're hiding like a fucking recluse!" snapped Cana.

"I can't be what she needs Cana," said Laxus quietly, staring up at the stars.

"Huh?"

Laxus sighed, "I can't be what she needs. Mira wants kids, she wants family. I can't give her that. She's better off without me."

"You don't want a family?" asked Cana confused.

Laxus attempted to laugh, but it came out more like a choking noise, "Can you imagine me as a dad Cana? Don't you remember my old man? Why would I want to have kids? So I can fuck up yet another generation of Dreyars?"

"Makarov is a good father," defended Cana.

"Makarov was my dad's father and gramps couldn't stop him from throwing his life away, no matter what he did." Laxus put out what remained of his cigarette in the ash tray beside him and pulled another one from the pack in his shirt pocket.

"You can't let the mistakes of your father define your life!" spat Cana.

Laxus lifted both brows this time, "A little hypocritical coming from you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Cana crossed her arms defensively and looked out towards the yard.

"You do anything to avoid having any responsibility in this life; you drink your cares away. You're a smart person but you didn't give a shit about school or getting a job. When's the last time you had an actual relationship that wasn't about sex. Really, you've done nothing but follow in your mother's footsteps. Are you going to repeat history? Are we going to find you dead in an alley just like they found your mother?" said Laxus, his anger nearly pulling him out of his seat.

"No," whispered Cana, shocked at his callousness.

"And what about your old man? You've know his name for, what, ten years now? When are you going to have a conversation with him?" continued Laxus.

Cana stood enraged, "That's not fair!"

"No, it's fucking not. And neither is you coming here and telling me how to live my life! Do I care about Mirajane?" he breathed out deeply, "Yea, I do, I care a hell of a lot for her, but that's not what this shit is about. I'm not going to see her anymore because she wants something I can't give. She deserves to be happy. Hopefully one day I'll be able to walk into that bar like nothing happened and we can all go back to life like it was before. But I can't right now. So fuck off and butt out. I don't need this shit Cana."

Cana frowned, "Fine, I'll go." She started towards the door, "Just Laxus?"

"Hmm," he regarded her with heavy lidded eyes.

"Don't cut the rest of your friends off too, Mira isn't the only one who misses you," and with a wave Cana disappeared into the house.

Laxus sat back in his chair, blowing more smoke up at that night sky and quietly cursed at the stars.

* * *

Erza opened her eyes and reached over for the man she had come used to finding next to her, and found nothing. She sat up quickly, her confusion waking her fully, and turned to find the bed next to her was cold and in Jellal's place was a slip of paper. She sighed and smiled, glad that he was thoughtful enough to leave a note, but saddened that he had to leave at all.

She opened the note and read out loud, "Scarlet, today I challenge you to a scavenger hunt. I have planted clues all around Magnolia, each one will give you a hint on where to go next. If you are able to find me at the end, you are victorious! How quickly can you find me? Love Jellal." Erza's strong sense of competition took over as a wide grin spread on her face. "Excellent," she said, hurrying to her dresser and getting dressed so fast she could rival super man. She looked back at the note, "Clue number one . . ."


	14. Scavenging for Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jellal’s friends help send Erza on a scavenger hunt, ending in an important question. Natsu gets Lucy an important gift.

* * *

 

Erza took a step out the front door and took a sip of the tea she had made to give her a small boost of caffeine. She mulled over Jellal's first clue, "Throughout the day as you search for me, let's revisit our history. The first place I saw you with your crimson hair, it was all I could do not to stare. When you sat down in front of me, I knew that your friend I wanted to be." If he wanted this to be a challenge he would need to step up his game, obviously it was their elementary school. With a smile she popped in her driver's seat, she would definitely find him before the days end.

* * *

When she arrived at the elementary school there was a man sitting cross legged on a quilt in the front lawn. Erza walked over and stood next to him, Macbeth was definitely out cold. She nudged him with her foot and got no response. "Leave it to you, to fall asleep on the lawn like this. Although I find it amazing that Jellal got you to help. Wake up Macbeth! Where is the note?" She nudged him a little more firmly with her toe.

"I didn't just fall asleep, I slept here all night. I hate this place, but I owed him," he said without opening his eyes. "Tell him the debt is repaid. The envelope is under the front right corner of the quilt."

Erza smiled at her former classmate, thinking some things never changed. She found the envelope and looked at him one more time, he appeared to be back asleep. She shook her head and headed back to her car. "Clue number two: You've always had a weakness for something sweet, strawberry cakes are your favorite to eat. Though the old place is no longer around, this new place has the best cakes anywhere to be found." Erza was so absorbed in the note that she didn't realize, if she had turned to look at him one more time she would have seen Macbeth face turn up in a rare grin.

* * *

Lucy laughed, "That's awful."

Levy covered her face, "I know! But all I can eat is cheddar cheese quesadillas and plain popcorn! How am I supposed to get a proper diet when everything else makes me vomit? The other day we ran out of cheddar and Gajeel tried to use mozzarella and I threw up all night! That was just a slightly different cheese! Poor Gajeel, I'm so lucky to have him take care of me."

Lucy wrinkled her nose, "Yikes, well don't try to eat anything here, I've got a business to run you know!"

"Lucy!" Levy threw herself dramatically on the table in front of her, "I don't want to be nauseous anymore!"

Lucy smiled, walked over and rubbed Levy's back, "I'm so sorry Levy, I'm sure you will feel better soon! Is there anything I can get you right now? A water or a soda maybe?"

Before Levy could answer, Erza threw open the front door causing the bells to clang wildly. "Erza?" asked Lucy, confused by the dramatic entrance.

Erza sped towards them so quickly that Lucy couldn't help but take a step back in fear. Erza grabbed her collar, "Where is it Lucy? Where is Jellal's note?"

Levy stared up at them wide-eyed, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Note? What note?" asked Lucy.

"The clue Lucy, there has to be a clue!" yelled Erza.

Lucy disentangled herself from Erza's grasp and entered the walk in refrigerator. When she came out she was holding a cake. She smiled nervously, "This is what Jellal wanted me to give you."

Erza grabbed the cake and tore into it, pieces of icing and crumbs flying everywhere, "A note, there has to be a note!" Crumbling the end of the cake in her hands she groaned in exasperation, "Where is the piece of paper!"

"Isn't that it on the plate?" asked Levy, her face clearly showing her amusement.

Erza looked at the plate, finally noticing the white slip of paper that had been hidden under the baked treat. She looked at the mess of crumbs she made on the floor and frowned, "Oh dear."

Lucy stared at the floor with her hands on her face, "Yes, Jellal paid for the cake and asked if he could set it up on that plate. All I did was set it in the fridge to keep it safe." She sighed, "I guess I'll go get the broom."

Erza ignored her and was already reading the note, licking the icing from her fingers, "My darling Scarlet, I hope you enjoyed the treat." She grimaced and looked at the floor again, "I'm so sorry, Lucy."

"See if I help for the next game you two play," grumbled Lucy as she began to sweep cake pieces into a dust pan.

Erza continued reading, "Clue number three: I finally started driving, though we had nowhere to go, I went everywhere with you in tow. When I had broken down or needed a fix, this is the guy who knew the tricks." Erza smiled, "That is an easy one! Off to see Sawyer!" Without giving Lucy's cleaning job another look, she turned heel and left out the front door.

Levy started laughing heartily, "Oh my god! Leave it to Erza to turn a scavenger hunt into something so savage!"

"Look at this floor! There are smears of frosting everywhere! I'm going to have to get the mop!" whined Lucy.

"Oh no! She's coming back!" exclaimed Levy.

The chimes rang a little more tamely, followed by sheepish Erza poking her head back in the kitchen, "Umm, I don't suppose maybe, if you didn't mind, you could pack another one of those cakes up for me?"

Lucy gave an exaggerated sigh, "I guess so." She gave Erza a wink to let her know no harm done, and went to get another cake from the walk-in.

* * *

"So this is the new ride," asked Natsu.

Gray hopped down out of the truck and smirked, "No, I decided to borrow another one for the day."

"Oh shut up ice nuts," Natsu spat. He walked around the truck, his face changing to amazement, "Wow Gray, this thing is practically brand new!"

"I know, isn't that awesome. Juvia really hooked me up on this one," Gray patted the hood.

Natsu looked in the window, "Look at the cab of this truck! Is that a wooden dash, are those leather seats! Damn Tinkerbell, those are gonna hurt your naked cheeks on a hot day."

"Shut it you sriracha fart, you're just jealous," scoffed Gray.

"I am though!"Natsu exclaimed. "So what's the plan with the other car?"

"I don't know, sell it I guess," Gray shrugged. "I don't want to pay insurance on both. I mostly drive for work now anyway, Juvia has a better car."

"How much are you going to sell it for?" asked Natsu, leaning against the passenger door.

"Not sure, why? Do you want it?" Gray raised a brow inquisitively.

"Maybe, depends on the price," said Natsu.

"We could work something out, I spent a lot less than I expected to on the truck," started Gray.

"Hey are you ladies going to stop flirting and get in here, or am I going to have to do all this fucking work by myself!" called Laxus from the front stoop of the house they were working on. He glared at them, his face was pure rage and arms flexed and crossed. It wasn't a welcoming sight.

"Man, is it just me or has Laxus become an even bigger dick than usual?"whispered Natsu to Gray.

"Yea . . . I didn't think it was possible," murmured Gray back.

Laxus huffed and stomped back into the house, "I swear you two idiots are worthless, I must be fucking crazy to work with you."

"Let's talk about it later, I'd like to leave today with all my limbs," Natsu patted Gray on the back and headed towards the house.

"Agreed," said Gray, following him in.

* * *

Jellal's mechanic was out front of his shop, wiping grease on his coveralls. Erza barely had the car in park before she popped out of her car asking, "Do you have it?" He pulled the envelope from his pocket with a grin. Erza took it with a smile, "I knew I could count on you to do this quickly."

He laughed and winked, "You know you can't beat my speed baby."

"Thanks Sawyer, I'll see you later," she said walking back to her car.

"Good luck!" he waved, heading back into the garage towards a large, dangerous looking motorcycle.

"Clue number four: Lions and tigers and bears oh my, but it's only fangs and scales for this guy. He always got us in for free, you will have to find him if you want to find me." Erza thought of stolen kisses in the aviary and snuggles on the aerial tram. Jellal really had a way of making her nostalgic today.

* * *

After picking up a ticket left for her at the gate, Erza headed straight for the reptile house. She went to knock on Erik's office door in the cool, dark building, but was surprised when it was swung open before she had a chance. He gave her a half grin, "Hey Erza, I heard you were here. Come on in."

When she followed him in she noticed the snake twisted around his arm. "Oh, am I interrupting?"

He laughed, "No, you are fine, I'm just charting growth and changes in the patterns on the scales today. It's not as if this visit is a surprise." Using a free hand, he opened the top drawer of his desk, pulling out a familiar looking envelope. He handed it to her, "I believe this is for you." He sat back down in his chair and started observing the snake on his arm, making notes in the notebook that was already open on the desk.

Before Erza opened the letter she looked up at Erik, a pensive look on her face. "It's been a long time since I've seen you around the bar Erik, everything okay with Kinana?"

Erik grunted without looking up, "Geez Erza, it's barely started and my ears are already hurting from your nagging." He looked up at her and gave her a sad smile, "Don't worry about us mother hen, I'll figure it out. Besides you've got an idiot out there waiting to be found, don't you."

"Yes, I suppose that's true," said Erza, turning her attention to opening the envelope. "Clue number five: If not for your stage fright, you would have shone like a star, talented is what you are. Though your disappointment you couldn't hide, it meant Saturdays here with you by my side."

Erik chuckled, "Your man thinks he's so cool, this stuff is so sweet it's going to make me sick."

"Well you know me, I've always had a sweet tooth," Erza gave him a wink and let herself out, closing the door and leaving the man to his work.

* * *

The theater was empty. Erza couldn't find anyone in the whole place and she began to panic. It was already the afternoon and she wasn't sure how many clues she had left to complete! In a fury she began going seat to seat, slamming them down and cursing when there was no envelope.

She had almost finished half the theater when a noise on the stage drew her attention. Sorano stepped out to the middle of the stage, completely dressed in feathers, and began belting out an Italian aria. It was beautiful but only fueled Erza's fury. "Where have you been? I'm assuming Jellal gave you the clue. I've been wasting time checking the seats for the last hour!"

Sorano just smiled, amused at Erza's distress, "Oh Erza, that was the plan all along! You were here much too early, I had to delay you somehow. Did you not like my song?" She frowned, "I prepared it specifically for you, it's an aria about an angel who falls in love with a mortal." She sighed, "Oh that I could be so lucky to be loved and worshiped by an angel."

"Enough Sorano, where is the envelope," demanded Erza.

Sorano frowned, "You are so lame." She pulled the envelope from her ample bosom. "Now if you don't mind, I will restart since I was so rudely interrupted before."

Swaying gently to Sorano's beautiful singing, Erza read the next clue, "Clue number six: When I went away the distance was far, being away from you was so hard. Home from school after a long week, there wasn't a more romantic place to meet." Erza furrowed her brow, "Home from school, far away. He must mean college, what did we do on the weekends during college?" Her eyes widened as the memories came flooding back, "Yes! Of course!" She sped out the door trying to make up for lost time, leaving Sorano stamping and cursing at her on the stage. Erza still hadn't listened to the whole song.

* * *

Erza stormed into the shooting range throwing both doors open like a bull entering the ring. Meredy was so shocked by the detective's dramatic entrance that she nearly dropped the small envelope Jellal had asked her to give her. Erza glanced about the room, determination on her face, but from her angle, Meredy was able to remain hidden.

The poor man sitting at the front desk looked horrified, "Ma'am, you probably shouldn't come storming in like that, there's quite a few people back there using firearms. Really not a good idea to spook them."

Erza ignored him and stomped over to the desk, she placed both hands on his counter, "Was Jellal here?"

The man gave her a look that screamed this woman is crazy, "Je . . .Jellal?"

"Yes Jellal! He has blue hair, around six feet tall, muscular build, brown eyes!"

"I . . .I don't know ma'am, I just got here an hour ago," the man looked ready to hide under his desk.

Though she was enjoying the show, Meredy decided it was time to end his torture. "Hey, Erza!"

Erza turned her head to look in Meredy's direction, "Ah, Meredy, I assume you will have what I came for?"

Meredy smiled, "Yes, I have it right here." She held out the envelope Jellal had entrusted to her the day before, praying Erza would read it out loud. Not opening it had been torture for her.

Erza smiled and eagerly skipped over to take the letter, like a child getting a piece of candy. She tore it open eagerly and began reading it silently to herself.

"Oh my god Erza! You can't do that to me!" Meredy yelled, unable to maintain composure.

Erza regarded her confused, "Huh?"

"What does it say!" said Meredy.

"Oh, just clue number seven: On the night of hearts where lovers stress, a shrimp took a dive into your dress. Lucky for me, I had a plan, and we went and had a meal made by this man.," replied Erza. She smiled, "Ah, Valentines day!"

"Oh," said Meredy, disappointed that her part was over already. "What was the clue for here?"

"Home from school after a long week, there wasn't a more romantic place to meet," replied Erza, matter-of-factly.

Meredy grimaced, "You guys had dates here?"

"Yes, we came here whenever Jellal came in for a few days from college. It was an excellent way to start the weekend," Erza said, tapping her lip thoughtfully. "We should really come back here, it has been too long, maybe next weekend."

Meredy slumped forward, "You guys are so strange, who has a date at a shooting range!"

Erza just smiled brightly at her, "Hah! You are just jealous!" She turned and ran towards the door calling back, "I'm off to the next clue, see you later!"

Meredy folded her arms and, with a fond smile on her face, watched the redhead leave. The world just seemed more right now that those weirdos were back together.

* * *

The restaurant was bustling so Erza restrained herself, she couldn't make a scene here. Carefully controlling her gait and her breath, she attempted to look calm as she approached the bar where Richard's brother Wally was doling out drinks. "Hey Wally," she said warmly, "is Richard around?"

"Erza baby, so good to see you!" he leaned across the bar and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Yea, we've been waiting for you, I'll just go grab him from the back."

Erza took a seat on one of the barstools and looked around the dining room. The ambiance of the restaurant was calming and brought back memories of their romantic dinner over a month ago. Erza smiled as she thought of the way Jellal had smiled fondly at her while she told him stories about work and her family. She knew most of what she told him was probably boring, after her embarrassment from earlier she couldn't help but babble, but he had looked at her like she was the most interesting thing in the world. She really loved that man.

Richard came booming out of the kitchen, "Ah beautiful Erza! It is always lovely to see you. Although I believe you are here for a certain letter, right?"

"Yes, and it will be getting dark soon, so if you could please let me have it," Erza began.

"No, no, no, you cannot rush these symbols of love!" he exclaimed. A waiter set a plate in front of Erza with golden fingerling potatoes, a perfectly cooked filet mignon, and some fresh looking asparagus. "Unfortunately, I am under strict orders to give you nothing until you eat something. Jellal said you have probably had nothing to eat all day except for some cake."

Erza was about to argue but realized that Richard was correct, she was starving. The meal looked mouth watering. She smiled sweetly and acquiesced, "Of course Richard, this looks delicious, thank you."

Wally returned and placed a glass of red wine in front of her with a smile, then went to tend to another restaurant patron. Richard took the seat next to her, "So how has the day been going for you."

Erza smiled, struggling to finish the too large bite of steak she had shoved in her mouth. "Mmm, now that I've had a chance to reflect, it has been a very nice day."

"Ahh love! You two are the epitome of love, it makes my heart so full!" he exclaimed.

Erza flushed, embarrassed by his over-the-top pronunciations and took another bite. Wally came over, finished with making drinks for the others at the bar. "Brother, I think they need you in the kitchen."

"What? Oh, of course they do, right! Well Erza, I leave you in my brother's capable hands. Tell Jellal I send my best!" The large man headed towards the kitchen.

"A dandy lets a lady eat in peace," Wally gave her a wink. Erza gave him a grateful smile and dug in, doing her best to balance getting finished quickly and not eating like an animal. When she was finally done, Wally whipped an envelope out of his pocket. "I believe you were waiting for this?"

"Thank you Wally," she said, taking a sip of her wine and accepting the envelope. She opened it and read "Clue number eight: Here always has a place in my heart, I was lucky to be welcomed from the start. Dinners with your family, nights sneaking in your room, this place helped our love blossom and bloom." Erza smiled, "Off to see Makarov it is."

* * *

When Erza got to Makarov's house the old man was out back having a pipe. For the first time that day she didn't have to restrain herself, she took her time coming in. Erza went out the back door and sat in the chair next to him, giving the old man a glowing smile.

"How are you doing today?" she asked.

"Pretty good my girl, have you been having fun?" he said, blowing out a pillar of smoke.

"Yes, it has been quite a day," Erza admitted.

"Well I believe it should only get better. I suppose you are looking for this, he told me this is your last one," he said, handing her an envelope.

She took it and opened it slowly. She pulled the slip of paper out and read the final rhyme, "Clue number nine: Let's circle back to where it all began, that fateful night when I took your hand. When I leaned in for that first kiss, I finally knew the meaning of true bliss. "

"He's really grown into a good man, that Jellal of yours," said Makarov, smiling out into the night sky.

Erza looked up at the stars with him, "Yes, yes he has."

* * *

"Hey Lucy," said Natsu, giving her his signature grin when she opened the front door to let him in. She never tired of ending her work night like this. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a tender kiss. "I've got a surprise for you."

"Oh yea?" she said, pulling back to look him in the eyes.

"Yea, are you ready to go?" asked Natsu gently, pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Just about, I have one more thing to put away," Lucy reluctantly pulled herself out of his arms and headed to the kitchen. "Erza was here today, I think Jellal is going to propose tonight."

Natsu followed after her, his eyes widened in surprise. "Why do you think that?"

"He had her on some elaborate scavenger hunt, all the clues were poetic sounding rhymes. It just screams proposal to me. You should have seen her, she tore a cake apart like an animal,"Lucy chuckled as she began bagging up the day-olds so they would be ready for the morning.

Natsu grinned largely, "Yea, once she's mid competition she kinda loses her mind. She's terrible to play board games with, takes everything so damn seriously."

Lucy raised an eyebrow and sarcastically quipped, "Yea, and I'm sure you and Gray are much better!"

Natsu pretended to be wounded, "Lucy! How could you lump me in with that ice princess!"

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Anyway, it's just so funny because she was so concerned with completing the hunt that I don't even think she realized what the prize is going to be at the end. It seems a little over the top to do a whole scavenger hunt for a proposal, but really it seems very Erza."

"Yea, she's always been one with a flair for the dramatic. She might be tough but at the end of the day she eats that romantic stuff up. I think she's read too many of those chick novels." Natsu's face became serious, "What kind of proposal would you want Lucy?"

Lucy looked up at him, wondering if there was any extra meaning behind the question. She then looked up at the ceiling pensively, "I don't know, I guess something simple and sweet? That always works for me." She smiled and tied the final bag, "There, all done!"

She barely had time to grab her bag and hit the light switch before Natsu grabbed her hand and began dragging her out the front door, "Come on Lucy! I can't wait to show you."

When they got outside, Natsu stopped beside Gray's car and started motioning to it like a model on a game show. Lucy raised a brow, "Why are you showing me Gray's car?"

"No Lucy, not Gray's car, your car!" said Natsu excitedly.

Lucy's mouth dropped, "You bought me a car?" she said quietly.

"Yea, well technically it's our car, I put both names on the title, but it's for you!" Natsu ran over next to her, "What do you think?"

"Natsu, this is too much!" she said.

Natsu frowned, "Of course not, why is this too much? Really it's for selfish reasons, this way if I get held up at work, I can come home to you and not worry about you being stuck here!" Lucy looked at him, her eyes still wide with shock. He pulled out a ring with two keys on it, "See, I also got you a key to my house, you can go whenever you want. And I got it detailed so don't worry, there aren't any cooties from Gray's naked cheeks."

Lucy's shocked face melted when she took the keys, a strange frown forming on her face. "I don't understand Lucy, are you upset? I thought this would make you happy," said Natsu, caressing the right side of her face and lifting her chin to look her in the eye.

"No, no, I just can't believe you would do this for me," said Lucy, giving Natsu a weak smile. "I just really like seeing you at the end of the day is all."

Natsu smiled, "I can still come get you Lucy, the car can stay here on those days. It's a good thing right? You're kinda starting to freak me out here." Natsu rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Lucy looked at Natsu and at the car, she didn't have words to express how much she loved this man. He was constantly surprising her with how considerate of her he could be. She was so used to being forgotten and overlooked, like she constantly had to work to get the people in her life to notice her. Natsu never seemed to forget about her. She finally smiled a real smile and threw herself into his arms, giving him a tight hug. "I love you Natsu, thank you so much. This is wonderful!" she said into his chest.

He rubbed her back and kissed her head, giving a deep sigh of relief. With a soft chuckle he said, "I love you too Lucy."

* * *

Erza pulled into the parking lot of South Gate Park. It was already dark out and there were no other cars except for Jellal's Jeep. She wondered if it would be hard to find him, she had really hoped to get here sooner, but apparently that had been out of her hands.

She headed down in the direction of the lake, remembering their first kiss by the gazebo. It was right before the start of their senior year. She couldn't even remember what they had been doing here in the first place, but somehow they had become separated from everyone else. Erza had tackled Jellal, mad that he had teased her about her favorite music artist at the time. They had fallen down the hill in a tangled mess, laughing the whole way to the bottom. When they finally came to a stop, Jellal had ended up over-top of her, and his face had changed from a look of mirth to a look of longing.

Erza had been wondering for a while if he returned her feelings. From the day they met in elementary school, they had become the best of friends. United by a their intelligence and competitive dispositions, they had naturally been drawn to each other's company. They were always on student council, top in their classes, and star athletes on the teams in school. Their days were filled with each other. Then during their junior year and the summer that followed, Erza had noticed the flirtation had become a little more serious and every time he touched her it was like butterflies erupted in her stomach. So seeing him looking at her like that, so close to her face, had been all the invitation she needed. Erza had closed the distance, kissing him desperately, and the rest had been history.

Just remembering that kiss filled her with an overwhelming yearning to see him and be with him. She increased her pace to a run, nearly falling down that same hill again when she came upon the sight of the lake, the beauty of the scene stopping her in her tracks. Jellal had placed lanterns all the way to the gazebo, which he had decorated with soft string lights. The lake behind it looked lit itself, as it reflected the large, full moon and the stars. Jellal stood in the middle of the gazebo, looking so handsome in the dim, warm light. His bright smile lifted her heart.

She slowly approached him, nerves slowing her feet. Was this what she thought it was? When she stood in front of him, he finally broke the silence, "Well it looks like you found me."

She smiled up at him, "Yes, it looks like I have."

He grabbed her hand and went down on one knee. She covered her mouth, completely overwhelmed with emotion, unable to stop the tears that were starting to form in her eyes. He smiled sweetly at her and cleared his throat, as if trying to cough his nerves away. "Erza Scarlet, my light, my reason for living. I can't begin to tell you how much I hate that it took nearly dying to understand how important you are to me. I don't deserve your love, but I treasure it, you are the greatest gift that this life has given me." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small box, opening it to reveal a beautiful ring. It was white gold, with a large diamond between two gleaming rubies that were the color of Erza's beautiful hair. He pulled it from the box and held it out to her, returning the box to his pocket,"For me it has always been you, there has never been anyone else in my heart. Will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?"

For a moment she just stared, the whole situation was just so much. The memories, the lights, the ring, the man in front of her saying such wonderful things. Then she looked in his eyes and she was sure, Erza knew this was exactly what she wanted. Still unable to speak, she shook her head yes. He slid the ring on her finger and stood, a huge smile across his face. Jellal pulled her close and kissed her with a desperate hunger that rivaled their kiss so many years ago.


	15. Growing Up and Playing House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levy and Gajeel make a big decision and Laxus tries to figure out how to deal with his feelings for Mira going forward

* * *

 

Levy was curled up on the couch, her feet resting in Gajeel's lap. She smiled when he snored lightly and shifted position, it felt like she was sharing this moment with a big cuddly bear. Levy turned her attention back to her book on pregnancy. She was finally into her second trimester at fourteen weeks. It was crazy how small the little thing was inside of her right now, the size of a lemon, adorable! She couldn't believe how it would grow so much bigger! Some poor women had babies up to fourteen pounds, surely that wouldn't happen to her though. Levy looked again at the bear of a man at the end of the couch again and frowned. She wondered how big of a baby Gajeel was?

Only time would tell of course, she wasn't even halfway through yet. She had until mid October to worry about this. There was no reason to freak out about it now, right? But what if it was a large baby? How would she get a large baby out of her?

She pulled all her limbs in suddenly, exclaiming, "Oh my god!"

Gajeel woke with a start, leaping from the couch ready to attack, "What? What is it?"

"Gajeel! What if this baby is your size? How will I get a baby your size out of me?" she cried.

Gajeel breathed a sigh of relief and fell back on the couch, "Is that all? You scared the shit out of me shrimp!"

Levy pouted and gave him a small kick, "What do you mean is that all? You aren't the one who's going to have to push a Redfox baby out of your nether regions!"

Gajeel threw his head back and laughed loudly, "First off, I'm pretty sure they come out baby sized, not grown man sized, and secondly, with hips like yours I don't think you'd have trouble giving birth to any baby, no matter what the size."

Levy gave him a furious look and started kicking him repeatedly, "Don't call me fat asshole, I'm pregnant!"

Gajeel held up his hands in a defensive posture, a large grin still on his face, "I didn't say you were fat I just said you had good hips, baby making hips." He gave her a wink and grabbed her feet, "If you keep up this abuse, I will be forced to punish you."

"You wouldn't!" shouted Levy, trying with all her might to pull her feet out of Gajeel's grasp. Gajeel's grin just grew larger as he began running his fingers lightly along the soles of her feet. "Gajeel stop!" she giggled, pulling with all her might. Instead of releasing her feet, she only managed to pull her upper body up towards him. Gajeel dropped her feet and grabbed her, pulling her into his lap.

He kissed her and smiled, "Don't you worry Shorty, you'll do fine. You might be tiny, but you're tough." Gajeel pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "So no more freaking out okay?"

Levy smiled and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his shoulder, "'Kay." She smiled and burrowed herself in, enjoying the way he smelled and the feel of his strong arms around her.

After a few moments of peaceful silence, Gajeel asked,"Do you wanna get a house Levy?"

Levy's eye's widened in surprise, she pulled back to look him in the eye, "Really? Can we afford that?"

"Well, yea, I barely paid for anything living with Juvia, she insisted on covering everything. I've got a decent amount of savings."

Levy hugged him tightly, "Yea, I'd love to get a house with you!"

"We won't fit here for very long with a little one, and I'm certainly not asking Juvia to take us in. If we start looking now we'll be all settled before you get too big to move," Gajeel teased.

"Oh no! What if I do get too big to move!" Levy's eyes widened and she looked down at her still small belly.

"Then I'll just have to carry you Shorty, gihihi," Gajeel said. He ran his hand across her abdomen with a fond smile and then gave her a tender kiss.

* * *

Mira was not ready for this blind date at all, the last one had left a very bad taste in her mouth. If it weren't for the risk of hurting Juvia's feelings, she wouldn't have come at all. Of course, right before it was time to go, Juvia called her to remind her of how excited she was that the two of them were going out and saying she wanted an update immediately after. So there was no getting out of this.

Mira liked the restaurant he picked for lunch at least. It was small and locally owned, the atmosphere was light and casual. When she pulled up, she saw him leaned up against the front of the building waiting for her. Or at least she was pretty sure it was him, she couldn't think there could be two people who met Juvia's description. Tall, broad shouldered, heavily muscled, and long green hair that today was tied back.

Mira stepped out of her car and smiled with a wave as she approached him. "Hello, are you Orga?" she asked pleasantly.

He stood and seemed stupefied for a moment before replying, "Uhh yes, would you be Mira then?" When she smiled sweetly and nodded, a large grin grew on his face. "It's so nice to meet you finally, Juvia has been talking about you all week. Shall we go in and get a table?"

He opened the front door in a gentleman-like way so that she could go in ahead of him. "Thank you, yes, that sounds great." Walking into the restaurant, Mira breathed a sigh of relief, it looked like Juvia had good taste after all.

* * *

Lucy adjusted her dress after she climbed out of Natsu's truck. "Are you sure I look okay? I haven't seen Makarov since he set me up with the bakery."

Natsu came around to her side and gave her half a grin, "Is that who you're worried about impressing?" He reached forward and pulled her dress slightly so that it showed more cleavage. "There, perfect," he gave her a wink.

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed, as she readjusted the dress back the to where it was before.

"What? He's a dirty old man, he doesn't care what you're wearing," laughed Natsu.

"He is not!"

"Okay sorry, _tiny,_ dirty old man, you're right, I forgot that," Natsu gave her a full grin this time and pulled her close. He played with the hemline across her chest, "You know, come to think of it, this dress is making me feel like a dirty old man as well."

Lucy snorted and batted him away, but she couldn't hide her smile, "You are incorrigible!"

"I learned from the best!" he laughed, taking her hand and leading her towards the front door.

Makarov was opening it before they could knock, "Bout time you got here boy, we're all waiting on you!"

"Oi old man, it's not my fault, we had a wardrobe crisis," Natsu said, motioning towards Lucy.

"Way to throw me under the bus," Lucy grumbled.

"Oh is that all?" Makarov reached up on tippy toes to give Lucy a kiss on the cheek. "So good to see you again my dear, you look lovely. Not sure why your wasting time with this delinquent, he doesn't know how lucky he is."

"I know, I know," said Natsu, giving Lucy a gentle nudge on the back to push her into the house. "Now can we get going, I thought you said everyone was waiting for us!"

Everyone was sitting in the dining room. Erza and Jellal were whispering sweetly to each other, Gray looked bored, with his arm around the back of Juvia's chair while she chatted with Cana, and Laxus seemed very interested in his beer. Makarov took his seat at the head of the table, and after Lucy and Natsu found theirs, he motioned to Erza to start.

Erza stood and smiled, a blush on her face. "Thanks so much for coming, we wanted to let you all know first," she held up her left hand revealing her ring, "that Jellal and I are now engaged!"

Everyone cheered and there was a disgruntled "bout time" from Laxus, and a "she wasn't giving it up anymore huh?" from Cana. Makarov began to tear up, "All my brats are growing up!" He wiped his eye, "Alright let's dig in, this news calls for a celebration!" He opened a bottle of champagne and passed it around so that everyone could fill their glass. However, when it got to Cana, she barely poured more than a sip in her glass.

Natsu gave her a funny look, "Is that all you're having?"

Gray raised a brow, "Yea, are you sick or something?"

Cana scoffed, "I just need enough for toasts, I don't want to drink a lot tonight. Is that so wrong?"

"No, it's just weird," said Natsu, as he started loading his plate with a mountain of potatoes.

"Especially since it's free," added Gray.

"Alright that's enough, stop picking on Cana," Makarov rubbed his temples, "You brats might be older but some things never seem to change! So Erza, Jellal, do you have a date yet?"

"Not exactly, but we are thinking next spring," said Erza.

"A spring wedding, how beautiful! Juvia always wanted a spring wedding," gushed Juvia.

"Do you know where you want to have it?" asked Lucy.

Jellal leaned back in his seat, a content smile on his face, "We're thinking maybe at South Gate Park."

Lucy and Juvia both made aww sounds, Cana reached again for the champagne. Laxus gave her a look from the corner of his eye and she said, "Yea, there's no way I'm getting through tonight without it."

Laxus shrugged and took another sip of his beer.

"You know, both of you have been acting weird," said Natsu, narrowing his eyes. "You guys in cahoots or something?"

"What do you mean cahoots?" Cana raised an eyebrow and took a sip of the bubbly wine.

"I don't know, it just sounded right, Lucy what's cahoots," Natsu turned to her.

"Working together in secret," answered Lucy. She sighed, "You know, Cana, fill me up more too."

Natsu stopped the bottle before it got to her, "No way, I'm not dealing with a perverted cat tonight." He looked pensive for a moment, then changed his mind and sent the bottle Lucy's way, "On second thought, maybe that wouldn't be so bad."

Lucy's cheeks flushed bright red, "Natsu!" she said, a warning tone in her voice.

Natsu scooted closer and whispered in her ear, "What? You don't think it would be fun to make you purr later?" Her cheeks were the color of tomatoes at this point. Furious, she kicked him under the table. "Ow, point taken Luce." He grinned and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then went back to eating his food. Lucy noticed that Laxus was looking at them disapprovingly.

Lucy shook it off and attempted to bring the attention back where it should be, "So Erza, do you know what kind of wedding you want yet? Colors? Theme?"

The rest of the meal passed amicably. However, Lucy noticed that Laxus was even more quiet than usual. She was also relieved to see that his disapproving looks were not reserved just for her, but basically at any public display of affection at the table. The only people not getting those looks were Cana and Makarov. She wondered if anyone else noticed his discontent.

Once dinner was over, everyone settled in to chat, knowing that Makarov had dessert planned. Instead of joining, Laxus stood suddenly. "Sorry, I gotta get out of here," he said.

"Oh? Well I'm glad you were able to join us," said Makarov, raising his eyebrow at his grandson. "You sure you won't stay for cake?"

"Nah, I have some work I gotta get done," Laxus slightly tipped his head at Erza. "Congrats." Without another word he was out the front door. Everyone went back to their evening like it was nothing out of the usual, which made Lucy wonder if his behavior the whole evening had been in her head.

* * *

"Does Laxus not like me," Lucy asked Natsu in the car as they were pulling away.

"What? No? Laxus likes you . . .well as much as he likes anyone I guess," Natsu thought for a moment. "Well, at least I know he doesn't dislike you, he more has a general indifference to most people. Why, did he say something?"

"No, he just kinda gave me the stink eye at dinner," Lucy explained.

Natsu laughed, "I think that's just his natural face."

"Okay, if you say so," Lucy frowned and looked out the window.

"He's been a little extra grumpy lately too," said Natsu, "maybe that's why he seemed unwelcoming to you tonight?"

"Why has he been extra grumpy?" asked Lucy.

"I don't know, it's been going on for about a month now," Natsu furrowed his brow in thought.

"You haven't asked? Aren't you guys like brothers?" Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"Ask Laxus? About feelings? That's like asking Erza to read her diary, he's not opening that book for anyone!" He gave her a serious look, "Also, you don't want to see what's in that diary either. Erza is messed up. Seriously, nightmares, couldn't look her in the eyes for weeks!"

"Natsu be serious!" Lucy chastised. "Aren't you at all worried about him?"

"Not really," Natsu smiled at her deep sigh, "but I'm definitely curious now. Don't worry Miss Nosy, I'll ask." Natsu patted her knee, chuckling when she rolled her eyes, then grabbed her hand and held it the whole way home.

* * *

"So how do you know this guy again?" asked Gajeel. He waited for their realtor outside her apartment, arms crossed. The guy wasn't very late, but Levy really shouldn't have to stand this long, it annoyed him that there wasn't a bench out front of her apartment.

"Warren went to school with me, elementary all the way through high school." Levy grinned apologetically, "I should warn you, he's a little bit weird, but harmless. Apparently he's like a mind reader when it comes to houses though, he found Erza the perfect house in a week and she was extremely picky."

Thinking of the others in their group, Gajeel wondered what the hell Levy would consider weird. If she considered their group normal, this guy must be one step out of the loony bin.

Finally a white SUV pulled up. A tall, thin man stepped out with a black hair that came to a strange point on the top of his head. He stepped up to them with a huge smile, folding Levy into an awkward hug. "Levy it's so great to see you! Wow, still hot as ever!"

Gajeel raised a brow, "Huh?"

"It's nice to see you too!" said Levy, completely ignoring the compliment.

"And you must be Gajeel," he said, shaking Gajeel's hand, "Wow, you are a scary one! Okay shall we get going?" Without waiting for a reply he bounded for the driver's side door.

"What the hell?" Gajeel whispered to Levy.

Levy shrugged apologetically, "He's always been like that. It's like he has to say what he's thinking, he doesn't have a good filter."

Gajeel grumbled, but helped Levy into the back of the car, then pulled himself into the passenger seat. Warren started the car and pulled onto the road. "I really think this first one is going to be perfect for you guys. Levy said you don't mind a bit of a fixer upper right?"

"Well, that depends on what needs fixing. I don't mind cosmetic stuff, but major things, like foundation issues, I'm not really interested in dealing with. Wouldn't want that in a house I'm living in you know?" Gajeel explained.

"Hearing you loud and clear, this one is strictly cosmetic. It's an older home and the owners took good care of it, but absolutely _terrible_ taste. I mean god awful. But if you're not afraid of taking down wallpaper and changing out light fixtures, this house is a real steal. It's a craftsman style bungalow over in the same neighborhood as Erza, just like you were hoping Levy," he looked back at her quickly with a grin before returning his eyes to the road. "Great schools, close to a fire station, and all the neighbors keep their houses in nice condition."

"That sounds wonderful," said Levy.

"Boy, I hope you still say that when we walk in," said Warren, a bright smile still on his face.

A few minutes later they pulled off the street, "Here we are!" said Warren cheerfully. The house was adorable with blue-gray siding, a small front porch, and freshly painted cream trim.

Gajeel noticed that the roof looked in great shape, all the shingles looked practically brand new. "When did they put the roof on?"

"About six month's ago right before they put it on the market," said Warren.

"This house has been on the market that long?" Gajeel couldn't believe it.

"Yea, like I said, you'll know why when you see the inside. The time on the market has made this baby priced to sell though," Warren motioned them to follow him. When they got on the porch he pulled the key from the lock box, and breathed deeply, "Really hope I was right about this one."

"What's that?" asked Gajeel.

"Oh did I say that out loud?" Warren looked confused, "Silly me, sorry. Okay here we go." He opened the front door and Levy's face dropped. There was dark floral wallpaper everywhere and it somehow managed to clash with the dark stained wood that filled every single room. The house was carpeted in a faded teal.

"Were the owner's colorblind?" said Levy, her face still screwed up in disgust.

Gajeel stepped in and looked past the wallpaper. He ran his hand along the thick wood trim, "Is this oak?"

Warren smiled, "Thank god, you get it. Yes! All of it."

"And they didn't paint any of it?" said Gajeel, moving over to run his hand along the large mantle over the fireplace.

"Nope," said Warren, a large grin on his face.

"Gajeel you can't be serious, this is terrible," said Levy looking up at the ridiculous gaudy chandelier that hung in the front room.

"What's under these floors?" Gajeel asked, stomping his boots.

"I'm pretty sure they are wood too, they are going to need a lot of cleaning up I'm sure, but the owners told me they just covered it all up. Didn't like it because it was cold," Warren said. "Seriously what a bunch of looneys."

"Lets look at the kitchen," said Gajeel.

The kitchen was also horrible. Teal vinyl floors with ivy print laminate counter tops, more gaudy wallpaper that clashed with the floors and the counters. A tiny sink and old cabinets that had chipping white paint.

"It's small, but I guess it would work for us," said Gajeel.

Levy didn't look convinced, "Why would someone put so many patterns in one place! Those cabinets are really terrible Gajeel."

"Don't worry, we don't cook that much anyway. I can have Salamander help me make some new ones that match the rest of the woodwork in the house." Gajeel wasn't pleased with the appliances, but they all seemed to be in working order, they would do until they could afford to replace them.

They saw the dining room with it's terrible fixtures, two small but comfortable bedrooms, and a bathroom with all green tile and a green toilet. Everything had terrible wallpaper and outlandish light fixtures. Finally, they went up the stairs to see the master.

After being unimpressed with the downstairs, Levy seemed a little depressed about their little adventure in the house. As soon as Gajeel saw the master though, he knew why Warren picked this for them. The large window over looking the backyard had a massive window seat below it. On both sides of the window were massive built-in bookshelves. Gajeel stepped out to the side and enjoyed the way her face lit up when she saw it, chuckling lightly when she ran forward to throw her tiny self up on it and look out the window. She wasn't even thrown by the awful wallpaper up here, which he was pretty sure was full of jungle animals, or the mirror the other couple had secured to the ceiling, which Gajeel didn't even want to think about.

"Oooh the back yard is so pretty!" said Levy.

"Yes, isn't it? They have two very mature lilac bushes and a nice cherry blossom tree. All of those won't require too much care and they bloom so nicely. Do you want to go get a closer look?" ask Warren.

Levy hopped up from the bench with a wide grin on her face, "Yes please!" and Gajeel knew this was going to be their home.

* * *

Natsu was so happy to finally get a break and have a bite to eat. He looked out the back door and noticed Laxus sitting on the steps of the back porch. Natsu took his sandwich out and sat down next to Laxus. He took a large bite and asked, "So what's going on with you man?"

"Don't know what you mean," said Laxus, his face noncommittal.

"You know exactly what he means," said Gray, leaning up against the side of the house.

"So what, you guys ganging up on me now?" Laxus frowned.

"I guess, but only because you've been a dick lately," Natsu took another bite.

"A major dick," said Gray. "This has to do with Mira doesn't it?"

"Why would this have to do with Mira?" asked Natsu, while at the same time Laxus said, "Yea."

"Jeez Natsu, you really are an idiot. Why else would Laxus let you plan the job at Fairy Tail?" said Gray, covering his eyes with his hand and shaking his head.

"Because I'm awesome, obviously," said Natsu.

Gray walked over and sat down on the step next to Natsu. He turned to Laxus, "Did you guys have a thing going or something?"

Laxus didn't look at him, "Yea."

"What! With Mira?" Natsu's eyes grew wide.

"What you think I can't get someone like Mira?" Laxus growled.

"So what happened?" asked Gray.

"She wanted to be more of couple, have like dates and stuff," said Laxus, showing his discomfort by scratching his neck.

"What's wrong with that?" asked Natsu.

"I don't do that kinda stuff," snapped Laxus.

Natsu continued on through his large mouthful, "Why not? Hell you already spent most of your time with her anyway, what's wrong with being with just her? Do you have to have one of your band mates with you everywhere?"

"Flame turd, stop talking with your mouth full! You got crap on my shirt man, gross," Gray scrunched up his nose and wiped off his sleeve. "But really the idiot has a point, most of the time I see you you're with Mira anyway. Would it be so bad to take one night away from your boyfriend Freed to hang out with her?"

"Look, just because all of a sudden you dumbshit's are comfortable making out in public, doesn't mean that everybody else has gotta be that way. I'm not a PDA kinda guy," sneered Laxus.

Natsu snorted with laughter and practically choked on the bite in his mouth. "Yea, I'm pretty sure Mirajane has known you long enough not to expect anything like that from you."

Laxus rolled his eyes, "Yea, but you know Mira, first it's dates, then it's marriage, then she's wanting to have a millions brats running around!"

"Not really seeing your point here," said Gray.

"Yea, what's wrong with marrying Mira? You too good for Mira?" Natsu said accusingly.

Laxus gave a frustrated sigh, "No, don't put damn words in my mouth. I'm just not a family man kinda guy, I can't be a dad. You know that, you remember my pops don't you?"

"If you were married to Mira you wouldn't have to be super-dad, you would just have to show up. She's already like everyone's mom, she'd make the best mom ever," Natsu licked what remained of his lunch off his fingers.

"Mira deserves better than just someone who's going to show up," said Laxus, pulling himself to his feet.

"If you care enough to know that, why can't you be the guy who does more than show up?" asked Gray.

"I'm tired of this subject, I'm getting back to work," Laxus disappeared into the house.

"Well that's more than we usually get out of him," said Natsu, standing up and stretching his arms over his head. Gray just grunted in agreement. The two followed Laxus's lead and headed back into the house.

* * *

A week later, the guys started work making Mira's restaurant dreams come true. Just two days in and Laxus couldn't take it anymore, he had to go make sure it was done right. Natsu had promised him that Mira was on a date that night and she wouldn't be by, so Laxus went over to start updating all the lighting. He had to admit the guys had done a good job, all the walls were redone and painted, Natsu was almost done with the construction of the booths and would soon be able to get the new floors in. Laxus was going to put in all the recessed lights and the light boxes for the new fixtures. He could at least trust the guys to hang light fixtures properly.

He was three-quarters of the way done when the door opened and he heard someone come up behind him. Laxus froze, it was the middle of the night and the guys had left hours ago. There was no way they would come back this late. Which meant it could be only one other person. "I thought you had a date," he said. He didn't turn around, but went right back to working with the wires in the ceiling.

"I did," she responded.

It had been so long since he had heard her voice, he didn't even realize how much he missed it. Laxus took a deep breath. He tried hard to ignore his feelings and concentrate on the job he was there to do.

Mira walked around him so that she could look up at his face, "I just wanted to see the progress, it's just so exciting you know." Laxus looked down at her pretty smile and swallowed deeply.

"If you keep coming it won't feel like a surprise when it's done," he attempted to tease.

"I didn't realize you would be helping, it's been so long since I've been able to see you," Mira said, a sly smile on her face.

"I've been busy," said Laxus. Trying to ignore the way his body hummed with awareness of her, Laxus started screwing screws into the box to attach it to the ceiling.

"I heard," Mira walked away and ran her hand over the booth Natsu had finished earlier that day.

Laxus stepped down his ladder and pulled it back together. Lifting it easily, he moved to the place where the next fixture was supposed to go. He could do this, he could be a normal human being with her. He owed it to her and his friends, he had to get his shit together. "I hate the light fixtures you picked, they'll look stupid in here."

"Oh? Well you know, usually I have someone to bounce ideas against before I make decisions like that," she said and Laxus flinched at her dig. Thinking his pathetic attempt at conversation was a failure, he was surprised when she continued, "Could you find me something better then?"

He looked over at her, relieved to see her face turned up in small half grin. "Yea, I could give you a few options."

"I would like that," she smiled a full smile this time.

Laxus turned his back to her and climbed up the ladder, "So things going well with this new guy?" Laxus was grateful to not have to look at her and to have the wires in the ceiling to focus on. It was a question he didn't really want the answer to, but he knew the idea of Mira being with someone else was just something he would have to get used to if he was going to return to being her friend.

She hesitated at first, giving a quick breath in in surprise at his question. "Umm, well, yes. I suppose it's going pretty well."

"Then why are you back here now?" asked Laxus, pleased that he could sound normal when he teased her. Even if the idea of her with someone else was tearing him up inside.

"Laxus!" Mira said shocked, "What kind of girl do you take me for? This was only the third date! You should know me better than that."

Relief poured through Laxus's body, though he felt a little bit frustrated. Why did it have to please him so much that the other guy hadn't slept with her yet? Another deep breath and he looked at her, giving her a half grin, "You're right Mira, I should know better." He could do this, he just had to take it one step at a time.


	16. Grand Openings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mira’s restaurant finally opens it’s doors and Lucy gets a surprise visit that ruins her day

* * *

 

After two weeks of long days, the guys finally had the restaurant the way Mira liked it. She leaned back against the bar and stared out at the dining room. "Those guys do really good work, don't they?"

"Yea, it's a good thing they are good with their hands cause," Cana whistled and pointed to her head, "not a lot upstairs between the four of them."

Mira giggled, "You're always so harsh on them Cana."

"It's how I show my love," Cana grinned and leaned onto the bar. "Mest already is working Max like a dog back there getting the kitchen prepped. I spoke with Lakia and Kinana, they know to get here at five to taste things and get a feel for this menu. Everyone is coming around six right?"

"Yes, this will be a fantastic opening night! We had so many friends to invite, it will feel like a party! I can't wait to see everyone!" Mira smiled cheerfully. She turned to Cana, "I'm really sorry we don't have help for the bar yet. I have a few people lined up for interviews next week. We can start by hiring our favorite and if we find we need more help after a month or so, we can go from there."

"Don't worry about me, I don't mind working a lot. This is where I would be if I wasn't working. I've got nothing better to do anyway," Cana said with a wink.

"Well, I don't know about that, if you wanted to, there are lots of things you could do Cana. I'm so lucky you like bartending and you are so good at it, I know I can rely on you!" Mira gave Cana a kiss on the cheek and patted her arm. "I'm off to check on Mest, let me know if there is anything else you need here!"

"Aye, aye Captain!" said Cana, giving Mira an exaggerated salute.

* * *

Lucy was so excited to catch Levy out front of Fairy Tail. Pulling the tiny woman ahead so that Natsu and Gajeel were forced to fall back, she whispered, "How are you doing? Are you going to be able to eat tonight?"

Levy grabbed Lucy's hands and grinned a large grin, "Yes! I'm so excited! All the nausea is finally gone! Although, now I want to eat everything, but I can't think of a better place to do that!"

"I hope the new chef is good," said Lucy.

"I'm sure he is, Mira has very good taste. Even her bar food was better than most restaurants I've been to. And I can't wait! I hope she has some good red meat on the menu tonight, for some reason that's all I want to eat right now! This baby is like a little carnivore!" Levy smiled big and rubbed her little tummy.

When they got into the dining room, Lucy and Natsu sat at a table with Levy, Gajeel, Gray, and Juvia. The entire place with buzzing with all of Mira's family and friends. They were having a private party tonight to give her staff a nice dry-run before opening up their doors for to the public. Lucy was so excited to have an evening with Levy and Juvia, even if it meant risking a brawl between the guys. At least if they acted up Erza was just one table over and, worse comes to worse, Mira had the magical ability to appear just in time to quell their discord.

When Mira sat them at the table she winked at Levy, "You know this would be the perfect night to make an announcement Levy. Everyone is here! Just let me know!" She handed them all menus and left before Levy could close her surprised mouth.

"Announce what?" asked an oblivious Natsu.

Juvia clapped her hands, "So it is true Levy? Juvia had her suspicions, but knew it would be so rude to ask."

Levy looked at Gajeel who shrugged with a small half smile on his face. Taking a deep breath she said, "We are pregnant."

Juvia clapped wildly and Gray stared at Levy as if she had grown two heads. Natsu slammed his fist on the table, "Damnit!"

"What kind of a reaction is that Salamader?" asked Gajeel, aggressively sitting forward in his seat.

"Now you're going to have a baby first! Lucy, they are winning!" exclaimed Natsu.

"It's not a competition!" Lucy chastised.

Gajeel grinned, relaxing back in his seat,"It is now, and I'm the winner." Levy smacked him over the head with her menu. He grinned widely, "Sorry shrimp."

"When is Levy due?" asked Juvia.

"In October," Levy smiled.

Juvia clapped her hands again, "Oh Levy should let everyone know! It will make the night even more exciting! We have to all throw Levy a baby shower! Juvia can't believe Gajeel is going to be a daddy! This is going to be so much fun!" She gave Levy a big hug, "Sorry, Juvia is just so excited for you!"

"I don't know how I would announce it, wouldn't that be weird? What would I do, stand on the bar and shout it?" Levy grimaced.

"I know, I'll sing a song about it," Gajeel offered. Natsu and Gray both groaned loudly.

Levy smiled sweetly and patted Gajeel's knee, "As wonderful as that would be, why don't we ask Mira what she had in mind for announcing it? I don't want to take away too much from her big night!"

* * *

Now that Laxus had finally put his issues with Mira aside, the Thunder Legion could come to Fairy Tail again, and Freed couldn't be happier. Mira had sat him at a big round table with his band mates and her siblings, Lisanna and Elfman.

He wasn't sure where Mira had found this chef of hers, but the menu looked fantastic! He hoped it all actually tasted as good as it sounded. "Everything sounds so delicious, I don't know what to get!" he frowned and read through the options for the tenth time.

"I know!" said Lisanna, "We almost all have to order something different and share, it's so hard to choose!"

"Gross, I don't want to share food," Evergreen wrinkled her nose.

"Yea, I was thinking of just getting two entrees for myself because that's manly and I'm really hungry," Elfman said, frowning at his menu.

Bixlow smiled, "I'll let you try some of mine if you want. Don't worry about Ever, she's just cranky because she wanted to sit alone with Elfman and she's stuck sitting with the rest of us."

Elfman looked confused, "Huh?"

Ever pointed a butter knife at Bixlow and said through clenched teeth "I never said that!"

Mira's voice came loudly over the sound system "Hello everyone!" temporarily putting all arguments on hold. She stood at the front of the restaurant with a large happy smile on her face. Freed had noticed that the new guy she was seeing sat at the bar, hanging out with Cana. He thought about how easily Laxus could have been sitting there, and he couldn't help but worry about his friend. Freed shifted his eyes to look at the hulking blond next to him. Laxus watched Mira with studied indifference, but Freed could see the small hint of a smile forming on his lips.

"I just wanted to thank all of you for coming to celebrate our grand opening of Fairy Tail Restaurant and Bar! I'm so thrilled to see my dream coming true and be able to share it with you!" The whole restaurant cheered, everyone was so happy little Mira was finally getting what she deserved. "Our chef Mest has worked really hard to put together a fantastic menu for you all tonight, and Cana in the back will make sure to keep the drinks coming! Please enjoy yourself, and let us know what you think on the comment cards we have at the tables!"

"Lastly, I have very exciting news to share! Soon there's going to be a new little one in our family here!" Freed nearly spit out his water, surely Mira wasn't announcing that she was pregnant! Unable to help himself, he looked at Laxus. All signs of smiles were gone, Laxus was pale and frowning, breathing heavily through his nose. He was definitely upset. "Levy and Gajeel are expecting a new little one in October! Please be sure to stop by and give them your congrats! The waitresses will be by to get your orders and bring bread and appetizers soon. So be ready! Thanks again, I love you all!" Mira blew a kiss out to the crowd and everyone sent cheers back.

Freed noticed Levy's face was completely beet red, he guessed that was not exactly what she expected Mira to do. He looked back at Laxus, thinking he would see the same relief that he was feeling. Instead Laxus had a look of restrained anger that was furrowing his brow.

Laxus turned and caught Freed looking at him. He gave a forced smile and stood suddenly, "Can you just tell Kinana I want the steak, I'm gonna head to the restroom," and he headed in that direction at a swift pace. Freed frowned. He knew now that he had been right, Laxus really wasn't doing as well with the situation with Mira as he was pretending.

* * *

Laxus splashed cold water on his face, trying to cool himself down. He had to get ahold of himself, Mira was not his anymore. Really, she wasn't ever fully his because he wouldn't let her be, this whole situation was his fault. Laxus had met Orga and the guy was actually a good guy. A guy that Laxus felt he could actually respect. It almost made it worse, because it meant that Orga probably wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Laxus couldn't understand what was going on in his head right now. He didn't want kids with Mira, so why did the idea of her having kids with someone else hurt so bad? Did he really expect her to give up the things she wanted just to mess around with him? Or was it possible that he was starting to feel that he could get used to the idea of those things just to be with her? Laxus felt ashamed to be so selfish about this. It was ridiculous that he would feel like she couldn't be with anyone else but him, when he was the one who drove her away. He took a deep breath and dried off his face. He could be a decent human being, at least for tonight, he owed her that much.

* * *

Everything went fantastically well at the dinner, and the following night at their grand opening they were packed. Word of mouth in the community had really done Mira well. Cana couldn't believe how quickly Mest could pump out the food. His insanely hyperactive personality and attention to detail made him a monster in the kitchen. Cana was going to need help behind the bar though, Mira had to step in a few times to help, especially since when they were full, people would just grab a stool and order at the bar. Cana had been relieved when she woke that morning that they would finally be interviewing people. However, after five complete messes, one of which had showed up in pajama pants, her enthusiasm was at an all time low.

"These bartenders are awful Mira! Where did you place a want ad? A clown college?" Cana made a sound of disgust, "That last one couldn't even make a long island, I'm pretty sure this is just sweet tea and vodka."

Mira smiled, "Oh they couldn't have been that bad! And I see you're drinking that terrible tea anyway!"

Cana looked down at the drink in her hand and screwed up her face in revulsion. "Damnit!" She dumped the rest of the mixture down the sink.

Mira giggled, "The next guy coming in is someone you know, so maybe it will go better?"

Cana perked up, "Someone I know?" Mira's grin grew a little more mischievous and Cana became worried, "Oh no, this isn't going to be payback for Azuma is it? Mira. . ."

Mira gave her a wink, "I'll never tell, but I'm sure it's going to be a _wild_ good time!"

Cana's mouth dropped, "You didn't!"

Mira just headed to the back, "I'll be in my office when you decide to hire him!"

Ten minutes later and Bacchus was strolling in through the door. Cana hadn't seen him since New Year's Eve. It had been a really nice night, but that was all it ever was for them, a little fun and they go their separate ways. Cana wasn't sure how she felt about him invading her inner sanctum here.

"What are you doing here Bacchus?" she said lazily, leaning back in her chair.

"Is that any way to greet me babe?" he asked, clearly not put off by her accusatory question.

"I don't think Goldmine would be very happy to know that you are sniffing around," Cana raised a brow.

Bacchus sat across from her at the table giving her a crooked grin, "I don't think it's any of his business."

Cana leaned forward on the table and regarded him shrewdly, "Alright, I'll bite, why would you want to work here of all places?"

"My soul is telling me this is where I need to be, I'm tired of serving college kids at Quatro Cerberus, it's time to move up to a man's job. I've seen what Mira's done here, it's going to be a nice place, a nice place attracts more quality customers and they tip better. Give it a few months this place will be a goldmine. I know I'm a good bartender, one of the best! A place like this is the logical next step for me. Not to mention, I'd get to work with someone who shares my wild spirit," he gave Cana a wink, "letting this opportunity pass me by . . .I just couldn't do that."

"This would ruin our pact you know, I can't sleep with you if I'm working with you," Cana said.

Bacchus just laughed, "I'd like to see you try and resist this!"

Cana chuckled, "Well, I know very well that you can make anything, so it's not as if I need to have you do that for me."

"But you're still hesitant," Bacchus raised a brow and crossed his arms.

"Maybe," Cana replied.

"Then let's decide this the way we do best, drinking contest," He got to his feet and slammed a fist on the table. "I win and the spot is mine, you win and I walk away."

"I can't do that," Cana said quickly.

Bacchus gave her a shocked expression, "What? Why not?"

"I'm just not drinking like that anymore," Cana fidgeted with the pen in her hand. This was definitely one person who wasn't going to understand the changes she was trying to make.

Bacchus gave her a sardonic smile, "Well that's stupid, what made you decide that."

"It's just it's time to grow up," Cana defended.

"Grow up? What kind of bullshit is that! I've seen it up close and I can tell you that body of yours is definitely grown woman. What are you going to do now Cana? Find a man, settle down, stay home, raise some babies? Is that growing up to you? Cause that's not the Cana I know," Bacchus scoffed. "You're Cana, you're wild and beautiful, like a panther. You can't be caged! You can drink any man under the table and get up the next day like nothing happened. You can talk to anyone and make friends, travel anywhere and fit in with the locals, you get what you want when you want it and you don't let anyone tell you you can't do what you want to do. I don't know what asshole tried to tame you, and fill your head with this nonsense about what's grown up and what's not. You should pick the path you want to go on even if it ain't the well beaten one. Don't let someone else quell your passion, because it's one of your best qualities."

Cana just stared at him, confused by his emotional speech. He grinned at her again and put his hands in his pockets, "All I know is I love my life, and I think you loved yours too. Life is like wine to us and we drink it fully. It's not the way most people live, but that definitely doesn't make it a bad thing." He shrugged, "I want to work here Cana, and I know you can't tell me that any of the guys who came here earlier are better at this kind of job than me, so give me a call when you're ready for that contest. Or, if you are still feeling chicken, just tell Mira I'm the one for the job. You know my number," He gave her another wink and sauntered out the door.

Cana just sat there quietly for a while, chewing on the back of her pen while she pondered his words. She started to wonder how she had let Laxus's accusatory speech a while back affect her as much as it had. That man couldn't even figure out his own life. It seemed so strange that Bacchus, of all people, could know her so well. Here she thought all they had between them was something shallow, but he had been really paying attention all this time.

After a few minutes, Mira came up from the back and sat down across from her, "Whatcha thinking?"

Cana shook herself out of her daze and looked at Mira, "I think we're gonna have to give Bacchus the job, but I'm going to have to drink him under the table first. He insulted my honor."

Mira clapped her hands, "Wonderful! Give him a call, let's do that tonight!" She covered her face with her hands, barely able to contain her glee. "Everything is just coming together so well Cana!"

Cana grabbed her friend's hands, and pulled them down so Mira could see the big smile on her own face, "You know, it really is."

* * *

Natsu took his hammer and gently tapped his cat's paw underneath the floor molding. "Don't fuck up the baseboards Salamander!" came a rough yell from behind him.

Natsu turned his head to regard Gajeel with a look of disdain. "What kind of amateur do you take me for!" he yelled, returning to tap the hand tool a little bit more roughly while quickly maneuvering along the wall. "Do you want these carpets out or not? I'm not helping if you micromanage me!"

"I know, I know! I'm just worried these floors are gonna be shit!" Gajeel ran his hands through his massive mane and paced in the hall. After a month of drawn out paperwork, Gajeel and Levy closed on their house. Gajeel had already stripped all the crap wallpaper down and asked for help removing the carpet. Natsu could tell he had been too nervous to handle the job by himself. Which seemed odd, Gajeel always seemed so sure of himself. Natsu chuckled, this pending fatherhood was stripping Gajeel of all his bravado.

"I wouldn't worry, the wood they used on the walls is top notch. The builders wouldn't put shit floors next to top quality baseboards, that would look like crap. Worse comes to worse, we'll have to do some sanding and strip some glue." The last piece of floor mold was free, Natsu pulled it out and handed it over to Gajeel who set it with the other pieces in the hall way. Natsu grinned, "Moment of truth man, you ready?"

Gajeel nodded and went over to the corner of the room. Getting on his hands and knees he gently tugged on the carpet, pulling it up with the padding, and freeing it from the tack strip. After getting half of the room's worth of carpet pulled back, Gajeel had to stop and stare. Whoever laid the carpet had done a fantastic job, the floors were dingy, and would need a good refinishing to shine again, but they were in amazing shape. So far no glue or random nails.

Natsu came up next to him and took a massive bite of the apple he now had in his hand. "Are you crying?" Natsu teased with his mouth full, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Shut up, it's just sweat," Gajeel said wiping his face, "you spit any of that apple on my floor, I'm bashing your face in!"

Natsu swallowed and grinned, "You are crying? Are you sure you aren't pregnant too?"

Gajeel crossed his arms, "There is such a thing as sympathetic pregnancy ya know. There's nothing wrong with getting a little emotional every now and then."

"So a baby huh?" Natsu bit into the apple again, the loud crunch echoing through the house. "I don't know why, but I never really saw you as the dad type."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Gajeel asked, returning to tearing up the teal blue carpet.

"You know, you're kinda the opposite of warm and cuddly," Natsu ate the last bit of apple, leaving only the stem. Tossing it in one of the cans they had for garbage, he walked over to start loosening the tack strips.

"I'll have you know I'm very good with kids," Gajeel frowned.

"Wendy isn't really a kid Gajeel," Natsu grinned widely.

"No shit Salamander," Gajeel huffed. "I've spent time with other kids before."

Natsu's tone softened, "Really though, congrats."

Gajeel messed with one of the piercings under his lip. "I have to admit, I'm a little bit anxious, it's all just happening so fast ya know?"

Natsu pulled one of the tack strips up and tossed it aside. "Are you worried about living together?"

"Nah, definitely not that. I'm basically living at her place all the time anyway, Lily's even at her house full-time now."

"Yea, that's how it is with Lucy," Natsu said, turning his attention to the next tack strip.

"She still have her other apartment?" Gajeel asked, tossing the tack strips in the can and moving everything off the carpet in the hallway.

"Yea," Natsu answered.

"You gonna ask her to just move in with you ya think?" Gajeel got on his knees and started taking up the floor mold in the hallway.

Natsu stopped for a moment and sat back on his knees, "You know, I hadn't thought of it."

Gajeel laughed, "Yea, I don't know if I'm exactly the best example or anything, since Levy and I seem to be moving our relationship at fucking hyper-speed. But if we hadn't of gotten pregnant, officially moving in together would have probably been our next step."

"Yea, I'll have to think about that," said Natsu, tossing more tack strip to the center of the room. He stood and went to roll more of the carpet up, revealing more of the oak floor. "You going to ask Levy to marry you soon?"

"I don't know," said Gajeel, with a frown on his face. "It's just that I want her to know I want to marry her because I want to marry her, ya know? Not just cause we got pregnant. I haven't really figured out how to get that across."

Natsu chuckled, "Yea, that's a tough one."

"I figure for now, I'll get this house all ready for us and be there for her while she's carrying the kid," Gajeel sighed. "Hopefully sometime soon I'll get an idea on how to tell her."

"Just don't do it with a song," Natsu teased.

Gajeel grunted, "Eat a dick Salamander."

* * *

Lucy heard the bell of the front door ring, alerting her that another customer had come in. She wiped her hands on her apron and went to the front to find a familiar orange head looking at the decorated shortbreads in the display case. It felt so good to look at him and not feel any pain and longing anymore, Natsu had just been so good for her heart.

She leaned forward on the counter next to the register, "What can I get for you Loke?"

He turned and gave her a handsome grin, "Well I came by to tell you something, but you know those flower cookies are really quite lovely. Do you mind packing a dozen of them up for me?"

Lucy was so surprised that he hadn't tried to lay on the charm, that she almost missed his request. "Yes, of course!" She reached under the counter and got a small box, then walked around to the case and began packing them using wax paper. Since it was for him, she was careful to pick the nicest ones.

When she was finished, she looked up and noticed he was studying her. "You look good Lucy," he observed.

She couldn't help but give a slight eye roll, and here he was doing so well. Then he surprised her again by holding up his hands and actually looking embarrassed. "No, I'm really not trying to hit on you, I swear. It's just you look happier. Last time I was here you just seemed so tired and stressed, now you're like a ray of sunshine."

She smiled, but said nothing. Lucy carried the box back behind the counter and weighed it on the scale, then entered the amount into the register. "Was that everything?"

"Lucy, since last time I saw you, I really have made some changes. I was hoping that maybe we could start over, you know, and be friends again? We've just known each other so long, you are like family to me, and I miss you. I swear it's not a line, I'm seeing someone now, it's actually going quite well." Loke looked embarrassed, he smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I'm finally starting to learn to appreciate the one I'm with. You deserved so much better than I was able to give you when we were younger and I'm sorry for that."

Lucy looked at him for a few seconds, unsure of how to respond. It was almost refreshing to finally see this side of him again. She couldn't remember the last time she saw him where he wasn't trying to get back into her bed. "I don't know Loke." She hit the button on the register to give him his total.

"Well at least for now, I just wanted to give you a warning," Loke said, handing over a credit card. "Someone brought in a platter of your cookies for a work luncheon and your father was impressed by it. He looked at the card and saw your name. He was shocked. He's probably going to come by any day now."

Lucy finished running his card through the machine and handed it back. She couldn't help but frown. It had been months since she had any contact with her dad. Lucy didn't want him here, she didn't want him tainting the new life she had now. What would he think about her bakery? What would he think about Natsu? The image of his disappointed face kept flashing through her mind.

Loke looked distressed, "O dear, I've taken away your sunshine. Really Lucy, I didn't want to upset you, I just knew you wouldn't like him to surprise you. I thought I little warning would be a good thing."

Lucy gave him a tight lipped smiled, "No, it's good you told me. At least this way I can make sure I have this place looking like I would want him to see it. I'll make sure it's looking it's best! Thank you Loke."

He smiled and took the box from the counter. "Well, I should get going. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It was good to see you Loke," Lucy said, happy it was the truth.

Loke's smile grew and he gave her a little wave, "It was good to see you too." As he went to leave out the front door, Natsu came in. Lucy was already back to frowning, her distress over the impending reunion with her father on the front of her mind. So much so, that she missed Natsu's entrance, not noticing him until he was right in front of her.

"Wasn't that your ex? Did he upset you?" Natsu growled, not doing a very good job of hiding his irritation.

Lucy was slightly taken aback by his incensed tone, "No, I'm fine. He was just being friendly, he bought some cookies."

"You don't look fine, are you sure you are?" Natsu's face softened and he grabbed her hand, rubbing his thumb gently along her knuckles.

Lucy sighed. This was not very good timing for Natsu to come in. It wasn't that she didn't want to discuss what she was upset about, it was that she didn't want to talk about it right now. She needed to organize her thoughts about her father before talking about it with Natsu. He was just going to get upset about it and rant about how her father was a bad dad. That wasn't what she needed or wanted right now. She forced herself to smile, "Really, I'm okay. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

Natsu studied her face and frowned, "Okay, if you say so." Lucy could tell from his face that meant he would drop it for now, but she wasn't off the hook.

She tried changing the subject, "I have those lunches you wanted for you and Gajeel all put together. How is the house coming along?"

Lucy was relieved when Natsu's face lit up, "It's great! They got a really good place. I have to admit I'm a little jealous of all the trim, there's some beautiful wood in that house. A couple more weekends and we'll have everything ready for the baby at least. The kitchen is kinda a mess though, good thing they don't cook very much. It's gonna take a long time for me to be able to get new cabinets together."

Natsu's phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out and frowned, "Damn, I can't stay. I need to get back." He gave Lucy a tender kiss and smiled, "I love you."

Lucy gave him a genuine smile back and handed him the bag that contained his lunch, "I love you too."

* * *

When Natsu got home that evening, it was obvious that whatever had been bothering Lucy around lunch was still bothering her now. She was fixing food in the kitchen and her movements seemed sharp and jerky. He kissed her on the cheek and she gave him a tight lipped smile, all her answers to his questions were short and didn't encourage further conversation. It was kinda pissing him off.

After a quiet dinner she had plopped down on the couch with a book, making it clear she wasn't in the mood for company. Frustrated, he stomped off to the garage and threw all his attention into a side table he was working on for a client. When he returned a couple hours later, the lights were out and Lucy was in bed. What the hell was going on his her?

He pondered it while he brushed his teeth. It had to be something to do with Loke. He definitely noticed the look of disapproval when he had run into that suit on the way into the bakery. Had Loke said something about him? Had he overreacted about Loke being there? Was Lucy waiting for an apology for something? He spat in the sink and rinsed his mouth, then ran his hand down his face. He hated this.

Natsu climbed into his side of the bed and turned to face her. He could tell from the rigidity of her body that she was still awake, even if her eyes had been closed when he had walked in the room. Natsu sighed deeply and stared at the ceiling, confused about what to do next. Did she just expect to go to sleep like this? Well he sure as hell couldn't.

He turned back towards her, "Luce, are you mad at me for something?"

She breathed in sharply and quickly turned to face him, her face twisted in concern. "No! Why would you think I was mad at you?"

Natsu laughed incredulously, "Are you kidding? You've been standoffish all night! Every time I try to talk to you you're short and you've got a permanent frown on your face!"

Lucy sighed deeply, "Oh, Natsu I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I was being like that, I just am a little bit worried, that's all."

Natsu pushed some hair behind her ear, "Why are you worried? You've gotta talk to me Luce, I can't read your mind."

"It's just . . .it's just that Loke said my father knows where the bakery is now and he's planning a visit," Lucy frowned.

"You didn't tell him where your bakery was? What's wrong with him coming to visit?" Natsu really didn't get Lucy's relationship with her father. It confused him to no end that they could be so distant when it was obvious that Lucy loved her father very much. It made him want to punch her dad in the face.

Lucy seemed to struggle for a moment to find words, then she said, "No, I really didn't his disapproval you know? It's my space, it's something I love, and for him to not like it, that would just be so hard. I've gotten so used to him hating everything I like and I couldn't take it anymore. So he hasn't seen the bakery, he hasn't seen my apartment . . ."

"He hasn't seen me," Natsu added. Lucy nodded sadly. "You know, you can't hide what we have from him forever."

"I know," Lucy shut her eyes tight, as if she was trying to hold in tears. Her pain was breaking his heart. Natsu pulled her close to him and rubbed her back gently. He could feel when she gave in and let loose of the sorrow, her sobs making her body quake. "I'm so sorry Natsu, I shouldn't hide you from him," she hiccuped.

Natsu kissed her head, "I get it, I don't like it, but I get it. But just think how much of a weight would be off your shoulders when you told him? Who cares if he likes it? And who knows, maybe he won't think it's all that bad. You've got a really great place there and you make really good food that makes everybody happy. And you know I can handle it if he doesn't like me. I'm not going anywhere, he'll just have to get used to me."

Lucy lifted her head and kissed him, "I love you so much! I'm so lucky to have you."

Natsu almost felt almost dizzy with happiness from her sentiment. "I love you too Lucy," he said with a big grin. He rolled them over so that he was over top of her, taking in the sight of her smiling through her tears. Natsu wiped her cheek and sighed, "God, you're beautiful." Lucy's smile grew, lighting up her whole face. He lowered his head and kissed her reverently, thinking she wasn't the lucky one, he was.


	17. Daddy's Girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cana tries to work up the courage to confront her dad and Lucy’s father makes a surprise visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this Chapter I finally have all the written chapters up on AO3 and I will start posting as I complete the later chapters, I usually do one every 4 to 5 days. Thanks so much for reading!

* * *

 

Cana sat on a bench in the park, staring at a particular townhouse across the street. She had been here many times before, so much so that she knew when the neighbors got home, when the regulars started their runs in the park, and when the bus would come by on it's routes. There was nothing new about sitting on this bench.

She should just go knock on the door again, he probably wouldn't be home. She had lost count of the times she had finally worked up the courage to walk up the front steps and ring the bell, only to find nothing but an empty home. His movements were erratic and impossible to keep track of. Trips were never the same length, and hit randomly throughout the year. She looked down at her phone checking the time, if she wanted to try again today she would have to go soon, her shift started in an hour.

Cana had known her father's name since she was a little girl. Sometimes when her mother had mixed too many pain pills with her wine, she would lay on the couch, cursing his name for hours. However, whenever she was sober and Cana brought it up, she would change the subject, pretending she hadn't said a word.

When her mother passed away, Makarov had stepped up to take her in, Cana kept her father's identity a secret. The idea of being taken away and going to a stranger terrified her. Makarov had been a family friend, letting Cana stay the night on occasion when her mother was at her worst. His home was a safe place for her and, with her world suddenly torn apart, there was nowhere else she wanted to be.

It was later in her time with Makarov that she had learned exactly who Gildarts Clive was. Gildarts and Makarov's son Ivan had been best friends in high school, both the same class year as her mother. Gildarts and Ivan had gone their separate ways after, with Ivan going to college and Gildarts joining the navy, but they never lost touch. Every time Gildart's ship was in port, he would come to visit his friend. After Ivan disappeared, Gildarts kept coming, he would take Laxus fishing or to a ball game. Then when Natsu and Gray turned up, he started taking them to.

Cana watched him and never said a thing, slowly getting to know her father without the pressure of him knowing who she was. Sometimes he would take them all for ice cream, sometimes bowling, or sometimes he would order them all pizza to give Makarov a break. He was Uncle Gildarts and all of the kids loved him. Cana kept hoping he would figure it out on his own, but the man was clueless. It wasn't until later that she found out that Makarov had never told Gildarts who Cana's mother was, making it hard for Gildarts to put two and two together. Truth be told, she wasn't even sure that Makarov knew that Gildarts was the father. So her old man would just come by and tease gramps for how he had ended up with this rag tag group of kids when he should be retired, never knowing that one of them was his own.

Years just flew by and Cana became too embarrassed to say a word to anyone about the identity of her father. At that point it felt like she had waited too long. The only reason Laxus knew is because he caught her practicing her speech in the mirror one day when she thought she was home alone. It had taken doing his chores for a week to buy his silence. She sighed and dropped her face into her hands, maybe she would have been better off letting Laxus be the one to tell him. It would have saved her all these years of pathetic attempts.

Suddenly a hulking form plopped down on the bench next to her. Cana lifted her eyes and her mouth dropped. The very man she had come to see had sat right next her and was giving her a big grin. "What brings you all the way over to my side of town Cana?"

Cana wasn't ready, but she had to do this, she had to tell him now or she might never get the chance again, "Well . . .you see . . ." She threw her head back and gave a big sigh, why was this so damn hard?

Gildarts leaned back on the bench, throwing his arms around the back of it, "Take your time, for once I've got nowhere to be," he said with a wink.

Cana breathed out deeply and closed her eyes. It was like ripping off the band-aide, she just had to do it quick, "I know I've known you for a long time, and I should have done this sooner, but I have to tell you who my father is."

"You found your dad? That's great Cana! Is it someone I know? Do you need help getting there?" he asked excitedly.

"Well, you see, the thing is . . ." Cana looked at her feet, not feeling strong enough to watch his reaction, "the thing is . . . it's you."

Gildart's eyes widened,"Wait a second!"

Cana cringed, maybe that wasn't the best way to say it, she had practiced so many times and this wasn't going at all like she planned. "I know it's a lot to accept . . ."

"Whose kid are you? Sara? Naomi? Claire? Feena? Mary? Eliza?" He looked off in distant thought, "No, no . . . the hair color's off . . . Emma, Lyra, Jean, Sydney, Kate, Yuko, Francoise . . ."

Cana gave him a look of disgust, "What the hell Gildarts! How many flings have you had?"

He held up a finger in triumph, "I know! You're the spitting image of Sylvia!" He looked at her again, "Hmm . . .maybe not."

Cana covered her face with her hands, fuming, "God, you're making me angry! I can't believe such a philandering loser is my old man! No wonder I'm so screwed up." She started to get out of her seat to leave, "Whatever! Now you know, I'm out of here."

"W-wait!" he said, grabbing her arm.

She turned to him and spat, "That's all I wanted to say. I don't want anything from you, I just thought you should know. It's not as if I'm trying to be family or anything. I'm fine with things staying the way they are."

He stood suddenly and pulled her into a hug. His voice was sad when he said into her shoulder, "You're Cornelia's child . . .I'm sure of it."

"Gildarts, let go of me," she said, uncomfortable with his display of affection now that he had gotten it right.

"Why did you keep quiet all this time?" he asked quietly.

"I couldn't bring myself to tell you and time just flew by . . ." she started, stupid tears starting to form in her eyes.

He pulled back to look at her face, "Truthfully, Cornelia is the only woman I ever loved. You know, I asked her to marry me but she said no. Didn't like the idea of being a sailor's wife I guess," he smiled fondly. "That didn't stop me from trying again and again to get her back. I heard she had passed away, but to think she left behind a child . . . I'm sorry I didn't realize it was you."

"It's okay," said Cana, pulling free from his arms and trying to feign nonchalance. "I purposefully hid it from you. Sorry for being so selfish. Telling you has lifted a weight off my chest. Really, it's like I can finally breath again."

"I had a daughter this close to me . . ." Gildarts breathed out, obviously still in shock.

"Don't be silly, I'm not saying you should take responsibility for me or anything. I'm an adult now. Let's just stay as we are. But let me say this, just once . . .I'm glad I got to meet you, Father," Cana gave Gildarts a big grin.

Tears started to form in Gildarts eyes, he reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into yet another crushing hug, "Cana!" This time Cana hugged him back. "I'll never let you feel lonely again. Never again! I could quit my job, I've got plenty of money to retire. I'll be together with you always."

"That could get a little annoying," Cana quipped, unable to help herself.

Gildarts ignored it, "Please give me the right to love you!" he declared.

Cana grimaced, still squashed up against his broad chest, "Oh god, this might be a problem."

* * *

Lucy knew her father would be coming by any day, but it still didn't change the surprise she felt when she found him, standing in the front of her bakery, looking through the display cases. She must have opened and closed her mouth ten times before finally getting any sound to come out, and when she did it sounded ridiculous, "Help dad?"

He looked up at her and smiled, which was confusing on it's own. Maybe his administrative assistant had started slipping prozac in his morning coffee?

"Your mom would have loved this place," he said, looking around the bakery in wonder.

Again Lucy was at a loss for words, she didn't even know where to begin. This was a side of him that she hadn't seen in years. "Do you . . . do you want to try something?"

Jude's attention snapped back to his daughter and he smiled, "That would be lovely Lucy, what would you recommend?"

"I have some new strawberry muffins that are really good," Lucy offered.

"Perfect, and could I have a latte as well?" he asked, turning to look at the case of small cakes.

"Yes, of course," Lucy said, giving a strained smile. She turned and started to make his drink, trying to relax. Her shoulders kept tensing in anticipation of a hurtful comment, or unwanted advice, or outright disapproval. So far everything her father had done had been so out of character, she kept waiting for the jerk he had become lately to reveal it's ugly face.

"I owe you an apology, you know," came her father's voice from behind her.

Lucy didn't turn to look at him, just continued heating up the milk for his drink, thankful to have something to do with her hands. "Oh?"

She heard him sigh deeply, "I was just so worried when you told me this was your choice. Your mother and I didn't have it so easy when we started out, everything was so hard and we didn't want that for you."

Lucy combined the shots of espresso with the warm milk into a to go cup. She added one pack of sugar and a splash of vanilla, just the way he liked it, and placed a lid on the top. She turned and set it in on the counter. He had paused his speech and was staring at her case of shortbreads with a far off look on his face. Lucy didn't dare say a word, afraid she would break this spell that had somehow brought the father from her childhood back, the father she had before her mother passed. She bent down to use a piece of wax paper to get one of the strawberry muffins and place it in a paper bag.

Jude still didn't look at her and he frowned, "I thought that when you told me you didn't want any part in the business, that you were throwing all my hard work back in my face. Like I had given you this gift and you stomped on it. It hurt Lucy, but I unfairly took that out on you. I thought maybe if I cut you off and I made this path difficult, you would give up and see what I had built for you. I should have known better than to doubt your tenacity. I even thought after you opened this place, that it wouldn't go well and I would be stuck having to come out and help clean up the mess, but that isn't the case at all, is it? Then when I saw those cookies at the office, and the way everyone was excited about them, saying how delicious and well-made they were, I had an epiphany. This was never about me was it?" He turned to look at her directly.

"No," Lucy said quietly, still in awe at his discourse.

"This is just something you are actually passionate about isn't it?" he asked.

"Yes, I really am," Lucy responded.

He smiled, "Well it really shows Lucy, I'm really proud of you."

Lucy stared at him in shock. A tear escaped from her right eye and dripped down her cheek.

Jude slumped down a bit, and his smile turned sad, "I really have been a shit father if telling you I'm proud makes you cry."

Lucy laughed and wiped her face with the back of her hand, "Maybe a little."

He came around the corner and wrapped her in a hug, whispering into her hair, "I'm so sorry Lucy. I'm really going to try and be better at this."

"I'd really like that," she said, pulling back to look him in the eye.

"You are mine and Layla's pride. I now realize that all I want is for you to live strong down whatever path you believe in. I hope I can see you again soon, that you will let me be more part of your life again. Lucy, I know I don't do the best job of showing it, but I have and always will love you." He smiled at her for a bit and then was distracted by a buzz from his phone. Jude pulled the device out of his pocket and frowned, "Damn, I guess my time is up. I have to get back to it. I'm sorry I don't have more time to spend with you."

"It's okay, I understand," Lucy handed him the bag and the cup. "Umm, dad? Is there any way you would you like to have dinner with me? Sometime soon? There's someone I'd really like you to meet."

"Oh?" Jude looked up at her in happy surprise, "Of course, I'd love to have dinner with you and your friend, or . . .is this perhaps a boyfriend?"

Lucy's cheeks flushed, she was an adult! It was ridiculous that this moment made her feel like a teenager bringing her first boyfriend home, "Well, yea."

"Alright then, let's make it a date, can you call my assistant and make sure she puts you on my calendar?" Jude asked.

"Sure," Lucy watched as Jude walked towards the front door, "Umm, dad?"

Jude stopped and turned to look at her, "Yes?"

"I love you too,"Lucy said softly.

Jude smiled, "It was good seeing you Lucy, I'll see you soon." And with a ring of the bell he was gone.

* * *

Cana grinned at Orga as he strolled through the door, "Hey, big guy, long time no see."

Orga took a seat at the bar in front of her, flashing a wide grin, "Hey pretty lady, is Mira around?"

"Yea, she just ran back to the restroom, she should be up here soon. You guys going somewhere?" Cana started wiping down the part of the bar that some patrons had just vacated.

"Yep, gonna catch a late movie," Orga turned on his stool to look at the Thunder Legion, who was currently playing in the front corner of the restaurant. "You know, they aren't half bad."

Dinner was done for the night, and the kitchen was closed except for a smaller late night menu. The place was still packed due to it being a Thunder Legion Friday night. Cana watched Laxus playing his guitar like he was playing for millions while Evergreen crooned a cover of a Fleetwood Mac song. They sounded good, but they were definitely major dorks. "Yea, they do okay. People certainly love them after they have had a few drinks in them," she snorted.

Bacchus passed behind her and pinched her rear, she turned and gave him a dirty look. "If you don't want it pinched, don't leave it all in my way," he defended himself with a grin.

"Pinch it again and you're getting ice cubes down your pants," Cana warned.

"Kinky, I like it," Bacchus winked and went to tend to the customers on the other side of the bar. He was a pain in the ass, but Cana couldn't help but admit that he was making her job a lot of fun.

She turned back to talk to Orga and noticed he was staring off to the right. She followed his line of sight and saw Mira. Her boss hadn't noticed that her boyfriend had arrived yet, instead she stood, swaying gently to the music with a small smile on her lips, staring right at Laxus. Cana frowned, while she couldn't help but root for Laxus, Orga was a really good guy. Mira was really happy with him, but she would need to stop having these kinds of moments or else Orga was going to think something was up. Nothing could poison a good relationship faster then a bit of distrust and jealousy.

"This is one of Mira's favorite songs," Cana said, hoping it would be enough to excuse Mira's oblivious behavior. Orga frowned and nodded, then stood and went off to get Mira's attention. When Mira saw him, her whole face brightened up and Orga seemed to relax. Cana was wondering if maybe she should think of way to discuss this with Mira, when she felt a sharp pinch on her butt again. She grabbed a handful of ice from the ice box in front of her and turned, "Alright dickwad, you asked for it!"

* * *

Lucy was nervous, Natsu could tell from the way she chewed on her lower lip and played with her bracelet. He wished he could somehow ease her discomfort, especially to stop the lip chewing, it was driving him crazy. There she was ruining a perfectly good pair of lips. If she wanted them red and swollen, he would have gladly done that for her. He chuckled at his personal joke and looked back at the road.

Natsu didn't know how he personally felt about the prospect of meeting Lucy's father. He knew he could handle the man's disapproval, he had never been one to put a lot of stock in people's opinions of himself. What he worried about was how Lucy would react to that disapproval. He had definitely considered the fact that it could be the very reason that, after half a year of dating, he was just meeting Jude now. Maybe all of Lucy's insistence about not caring about her father's opinion was just bravado. Maybe if Jude didn't like something, it would eventually wear her down until she no longer saw it in the same way. What would that mean for them?

He looked over at her again, this time she noticed him looking at her, and gave him a small smile. Natsu realized he should give her more credit than that, she hadn't let her father change her mind on her career path and she wouldn't let him change her mind about Natsu. His doubts were ridiculous. From what Lucy told him about her father's visit this week, it sounded like Jude was trying to be a better father. Natsu had promised to be on his best behavior and he would try, Lucy's father probably wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

When they went into Fairy Tail, Jude was already at their table, perusing the menu. Natsu was glad Lucy had picked this place instead of the fancier place Jude's assistant had wanted. Those restaurants had so many forks and Natsu could never remember which one was for his salad and which one was for stabbing himself in the eye. Then he would spend the whole evening worrying about elbows on the table and where the napkin belonged, it just didn't make for an enjoyable dinner.

When Jude noticed them he stood and smiled, "This place looks really good Lucy!" He gave Lucy a kiss on the cheek, Lucy gave him an awkward grin, obviously not used to being a recipient of his signs of affection.

Jude turned to Natsu and held out a hand, Natsu took it and shook it firmly with a smile. "It's nice to meet you sir, I'm Natsu Dragneel."

"Ah, Natsu, yes. It's nice too meet you as well." Jude's smile seemed a little forced as he looked Natsu over. Natsu was definitely sure that he looked a little bit rougher than the guys Lucy used to bring home. Her father's reaction was okay though, he never expected to get approval at first sight.

They all took a seat, and Jude went back to looking at the menu. "You said this place is owned by a friend of yours Lucy? I really like the atmosphere, it's comfortable but in an upscale way. If the food is good, it would be a great place to bring business associates from out of town."

"Yes, this is Mira's place! It used to just be a bar, but she did a large remodel and revamped the concept. The food won't disappoint, she has an excellent chef!" Lucy was still playing with her bracelet. Natsu wondered if all family dinners between them had this strange tenseness. He didn't care for it, it was making him antsy. His knee bounced uncontrollably under the table. It also didn't help that Jude had selected the seat with the best vantage of the room. Natsu's back was to most of the dining room, it made him uncomfortable, he hated not being able to see who was coming and going, or what the other diners were doing. If he turned his chair it would look like he was being disrespectful. Natsu sighed and took a sip of his water, hopefully Kinana would get back soon so he could order a beer and try to relax.

"So what is it you do for a living Mr Dragneel?" Jude asked from behind his menu.

"I do building remodels and custom woodworking," Natsu replied.

Jude raised a brow and looked at Natsu over the top of his menu, "Is that so?" He was obviously not impressed.

"Natsu did the remodel here, dad," Lucy said quickly. Natsu smiled, he really didn't need her to defend him, but it was cute that she was trying.

Jude put his menu down and looked around, his face genuinely surprised. Yet again, Natsu was grateful that Lucy had picked Mira's place, and he wondered if maybe this was part of her motivation in choosing it. This place contained some of his best work.

Jude looked at Natsu and gave him a genuine smile this time, "This is good work Natsu."

"Thanks," Natsu said, his leg finally coming to a standstill.

Kinana came up to the table with a large smile on her face, notepad in hand, "Are you all ready to order?"

After she went away with their entree choices penned down, Jude turned to Natsu again, "So custom woodworking? What does that entail exactly?"

Natsu cast a glance at Lucy, for the first time her expression looked relaxed. Her small smile seemed to make her face glow, and Natsu felt a little bit of pride for putting it there. He guessed this meant he was passing the test. He gave Jude a big grin, "Well I've done a lot of the different things; furniture, jewelry boxes, wall art, built ins. Right now I'm working on an inlaid vanity for this client. . ."

* * *

Cana could hear Gildarts before he even opened the front door of the restaurant. He always did have a habit of making a grand entrance. Lately he was finding a reason to come sit at her bar every night, it was starting to give her an eye twice. "Damnit," she grumbled under her breath, already getting a glass for his highball.

"What's the matter?" came Bacchus' voice behind her.

"My dad's here," Cana said with a frown.

"You have a dad?" Bacchus asked, his face pulled up in confusion.

Cana looked at him like he was stupid and laughed, "I'm not exactly the immaculate conception you know."

Bacchus barked in laughter, "No doubt about that! I just didn't realize he was part of your life, you never said anything about him before."

Now it was Cana's turn to be confused. She looked at Bacchus with a small frown on her face, "I didn't realize we did all that much _talking_ to begin with."

Bacchus's grin nearly took over his entire face, "Maybe not."

"There's my beautiful baby!" Came Gildarts' booming voice from behind her. Cana couldn't help but feel disappointed when Bacchus gave her a wink and disappeared to the other end of the bar. Things were just starting to get interesting.

Cana sighed deeply and turned to look at her dad, "You know Gildarts, you don't have to come here _every_ night."

"How else am I supposed to make up for lost time? All you ever do is work!" Gildarts exclaimed.

Cana set his drink in front of him, "You don't have to spend every waking second with me you know, I'm a grown woman."

"That's debatable," said Laxus, taking the stool next to Gildarts.

"I think I liked it better when you were avoiding this place," Cana said narrowing her eyes. Even so, she nodded her head when Laxus point to one of the taps, and proceeded to fill a mug with the dark lager.

Gildarts gave Laxus a large pat on the back, making Laxus oof in surprise, "Can you believe it, this pretty lady is . . ."

"Your daughter," Laxus interrupted, accepting the full mug from Cana with a tight smile and a nod of the head.

Gildarts gave him a look of injured surprise, "What? Did everyone know except for me!"

Cana snorted, "Of course not, just Laxus."

Laxus smiled, "Yea, could you imagine Natsu keeping a secret like that? You would have known years ago."

"You say that like that's a bad thing!" Gildarts exclaimed, running his hand down his face in frustration when Laxus and Cana merely shrugged. He sighed and raised a brow, "What's Natsu doing these days? Is he still seeing that Strauss girl? What was her name, Lisanna?"

"That was like over ten years ago, geez you are so out of it," Cana said, shaking her head.

"I bet you're seeing the older one aren't you?" Gildarts turned his attention to Laxus, "Is that why you're here now? Waiting on Mira. You always used to chase after her."

Laxus frowned and took a sip of his beer, "No, I'm definitely not seeing Mira."

"Definitely? Why so defensive?" Gildarts boomed in laughter, "Don't tell me, she dumped you didn't she? You're such a loser!"

"Fuck off pops!" Laxus exclaimed.

"Probably not a good conversation choice there dad," Cana tssked. She filled another mug for a patron on the other side of the bar.

"Huh? Why not? Do you need some advice there boy? Cause you know . . ." Gildarts started.

"You can give me advice on surviving in the wild, fighting, working a boat, making a fire, any of that kind of stuff. But. . . there is no way in hell I'm taking advice on women from you. You didn't even know you had a daughter for twenty-five years!" Laxus scrunched up his nose and took another sip of his beer.

"True, but I have convinced many a woman to take me back," Gildarts said with a confident smile. Then his smile fell, "it's just keeping them afterward that I'm not the best at."

"Yea, probably a good idea to keep that advice to yourself," Cana said giving him a wink.

Gildarts put an arm around Laxus shoulders and started to tear up, "Look at my kids, all grown up! They don't even need me anymore!"

Laxus removed Gildarts arm, "Is that really only your first drink old man."

"So what happened with Mira?" Gildarts asked. At that moment Freed and Bixlow walked in the door, Laxus breathed out deeply in relief.

"And on that note, I'm outta here, see ya around Gildarts," Laxus said.

"Did I say something wrong?" Gildarts asked Cana, "He seemed a little touchy."

Cana laughed, "Pretty much everything you said, but don't worry, he'll get over it."

* * *

When Natsu arrived home the next day he found Lucy in the office, looking at her mail with a frown on her face. He leaned on the door jamb, amused that she was so absorbed in what she was reading that she hadn't noticed his presence. It was so great coming home to Lucy, his days had gotten longer while hers had gotten shorter and he missed her. Laxus had a long list of jobs for them to complete, and they were starting to be spread thin trying to get them all completed in a timely manner. Lucy found herself confronted with the problem most bakers had when the weather became hotter, less people wanted comfort food and more people were watching their waistline. He could tell she was stressed by the furrow in her brow, but for a moment he just let himself enjoy watching Lucy hum to herself while absentmindedly petting Happy, who purred contentedly in her lap.

"Hey Luce." He chuckled when she jumped in her seat, it was too easy to mess with her sometimes. Happy leapt from her lap with a sound of protest, disappearing into the house.

She turned to look at him, placed a hand on her chest and exclaimed "Geez, Natsu you scared me!"

Natsu gave her a sheepish smile, "Sorry Lucy, I thought you heard me come in." He came over and rubbed her shoulders, Lucy sighed and rested her head back against him, closing her eyes and finally letting the tension drain from her face. "What's bothering you? Something wrong at the bakery?"

Lucy grimaced, "No, that's going okay. I still need to do some brainstorming on how to keep people coming in this summer, but for the moment it's alright. It's more this letter from my landlord, they are increasing the rent on my apartment! It's already way over priced, I can't afford it."

"Then don't renew your lease," Natsu said, confused as to why that answer wasn't obvious.

Lucy looked up at him in surprise, "What? Do you mean . . ."

"Yea, just move in here. You're here all the time now anyway, do you still need your own place?" Natsu looked down at her with an encouraging smile.

"No, I just didn't want to assume. You might want your privacy or something," she looked up and noticed Natsu's wry expression. "Oh come on, I just thought you might want to keep this just yours."

"Well that's stupid, of course I want you here. Everything's more fun with you Lucy," Natsu grinned widely. "I like coming home to you, having dinner with you," his smile turned wolfish, "going to bed with you." Natsu winked, "I don't need my own space, what's mine is yours."

Lucy gave a strange frown, like she was trying to stop herself from crying, "How are you always so sweet?"

Natsu laughed and bent over to kiss her, "Don't know Luce, must be all those cookies you keep giving me."


	18. Piece of Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erza realizes there is a missing piece to her wedding planning, Levy finally tells her mom about Gajeel, and the whole group gets excited about an upcoming beach trip.

"Did you already get the park scheduled?" Erza asked, looking over the checklist she had in her hand.

Jellal gave her an amused half-smile, "You do realize this is the third time you have asked me now, right? I'm starting to think you don't trust me."

"Well did you?" Erza asked again.

Jellal rolled his eyes and then returned them to his book, "Yes Erza, we are definitely all set to use the park for the wedding."

"Let's see, Richard is doing the catering," Erza made a check on the sheet. "Obviously we're using Droy for flowers, he already had me penciled in. You said Macbeth would be doing the photography correct?"

Jellal nodded, "Yes, it's not really what he typically does, but he has done a few weddings. I saw the pictures they were very well done, I'll bring you over there to see . . ."

Erza interrupted him with a cry of, "Oh my god! How could I forget!"

Jellal looked up in concern, "Forget what?"

"My cake, I haven't picked the cake!" Erza put her hand to her mouth in horror.

Jellal gave a full grin this time, "I'm pretty sure you still have plenty of time to find someone to make your cake. There's still 10 months left."

Erza looked at him like he was a moron, "No, this is unacceptable, we must go see Lucy, what if she ends up with something else scheduled for that day!"

"Does Lucy even make wedding cakes?" Jellal raised a brow.

"Does that matter? She is my friend, this is my wedding. I would think she would make an exception even if it isn't a typical thing for her. Her cakes are the best and I must have the best!" Erza said, stomping over to find her keys and shoes.

Jellal lazily pulled himself from the couch and gave a big stretch, "I guess this means we're heading to the bakery?"

Erza was already half out the front door, "Hurry Jellal! Time is of the essence!"

Jellal watched her run to her car with his head tilted and an amused smile on his face, she was just so adorably crazy.

* * *

Lexy fluttered around the house like a tiny humming bird, tidying corner after corner of the house. "You know, from what I remember, your mom could really care less about that. She's so oblivious I'd be surprised if she noticed dirty dishes on the sink. She's definitely not going to care if your books are in alphabetical order," Gajeel teased.

"It's not for her, it's for me! I'm so nervous, this is just bothering me! I can't just sit in the corner and wait for my mom to get here! I haven't told her anything and the whole world has turned upside down in the last six months!"

Gajeel came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing the top of her head, "Well if what you need is something to distract you, I could be that something." Running one of his hands up her torso and then her throat, finishing by tracing the line of her jaw.

Levy turned in his arms and looked up at him, giving him a sultry smile, "Well if you don't think it would be too much trouble."

He gave her a predatory grin, "It should be a crime for you to be that cute." He picked her up, chuckling lightly when she squealed in surprise. He gave her tender kisses all the way up the stairs, keeping her from being able to pay attention to anything else out of place on the path up to the bed. He hoped that after pushing a few of the right buttons, he might be able to convince his shrimp to take a nap.

* * *

Lucy gulped, Erza was going to murder her. "I'm sorry Erza, I don't usually do wedding cakes," she tried quietly. Oh god, there was no way to get her to understand this.

"Excuse me? I think I just heard you wrong, did you say you don't make wedding cakes?" Erza's eyes practically popped out of her head.

Lucy grimaced, "I'm so sorry Erza, but yea, I don't do wedding cakes. I just do the small strawberry and chocolate ones I do here. I've just never mastered a cake that large, they always come out too dense, or lopsided, or they don't hold up well when I construct them. If you really wanted me to make something for the wedding, I could do a lot of small cakes for you. We could put them out on different height cake plates, that's a little bit trendy right now."

Erza paled, "But. . .but I wanted a big cake."

Jellal smiled, obviously amused by his fiance's obsession. He took her hand, and spoke as if soothing a child, "It's going to be okay Erza, we can go try a some other bakeries. Doesn't that sound great? We could go eat lots of cake that way!"

Lucy couldn't believe it, there was actually a tear dripping its way down Erza's cheek. The redhead's lip trembled and she turned to look Jellal in the eye, "But Lucy's cake is my favorite cake. I wanted a big Lucy cake."

Jellal pushed some of Erza's hair behind her ear, "Well that would just be silly to have a cake shaped like Lucy, or maybe you meant you want her to jump out of one? Because I'm pretty sure that would be inappropriate for a wedding."

His sarcasm snapped her out of her depression. She jabbed a finger into his chest, "Damnit don't tease me! This is serious! It's going to ruin our wedding!" Lucy was in disbelief at how Jellal reacted with just an apologetic grin, Erza was terrifying!

"Well if it's the strawberry cake you want, I have a friend from culinary school who does wedding cakes for a living. She does a beautiful one that tastes very similar to mine," Lucy offered. "Just . . .she works at an extremely fancy place downtown, so . . . it might be expensive. . ."

"Does it taste likes yours?" Erza looked hopeful.

"Better in my opinion," Lucy admitted.

Erza made a determined fist, "Then money is no object!"

Jellal grinned, "Well, it might be a little bit of an object, we can't spend the entire catering budget on the cake. Do you know how much they charge over there? Some of those places get a little bit ridiculous."

Lucy frowned, "I'm not sure, it's been a while. Hold on." She stepped into her office and came back with her phone, "I'll send Yukino a text to see if she's available and how much it would be. I can let you know when I find out!" She said cheerfully.

"I guess that should do," Erza sighed.

"Can you pack up one of your strawberry cakes for us to take with us, I have a feeling Erza is going to need it," Jellal gave Erza's hand a squeeze.

"Of course! My pleasure!" Lucy said, throwing her phone in her pocket. She washed her hands and packed up the cake, then traded it for Jellal's credit card.

Erza took the box with a small smile "Thank you Lucy." She gave a big sigh, "It's a pity, I really hoped to be able to check this off my list."

Jellal rubbed her back, "You could put half a check, you did get the process started after all."

Erza looked at him appalled. "You can't . . .you can't just put . . .you can't just put half a check!" she sputtered. "That would completely throw off the system, I would see a mark and assume it was finished!"

"Oh is that so?"Jellal gave Lucy a wink and started steering Erza towards the door.

"Jeez, sometimes I don't know how you get anything accomplished, you must think all your tasks are done when they are merely half complete!" Erza stopped and looked at Jellal with her hands on her hips, "Are you absolutely sure you reserved the park? That wasn't a one of those half checked items, was it?"

"For the love of all the is holy, woman, I scheduled the damn park!" Jellal opened the door with one hand and used the other to rub his temple. His mouth tilted up in an exasperated smile.

Erza have him a quick kiss as she walked past him to leave, "Alright, I believe you. A half check, seriously, I just still can't believe you would recommend it!"

Lucy chuckled to herself as she watched them leave. Just barely into their engagement, and Erza and Jellal bickered like an old married couple.

* * *

"Laxus fight me!" Natsu called, thrilled to see the large blond entering Elfman's gym.

Laxus looked up at him and rolled his eyes, "Fuck, you idiots would be here too." He ignored Natsu's challenge and headed to the locker room.

Gray crossed his arms, "You can't yell fight me at every person who walks through the door."

"You're just mad because you lost frosty," Natsu laughed.

"I didn't lose, you cheated!" Gray yelled, shoving his finger in Natsu's face. "Biting is not allowed!"

Natsu put a finger in Gray's face, "You're just being a baby, this is fight club, there are no rules in fight club!"

"Actually there are rules Natsu, you can't bite, it's not manly," said Elfman, coming behind them to set out some clean towels.

"What the hell am I supposed to do when he jams a finger in my mouth then? Lick it?" Natsu fumed, damn Elfman taking Gray's side. "Elfman fight me!" He bobbed and weaved around the massive man, making teasing jabs at his ribcage.

Elfman shooed him off like a fly,"Natsu, I'm working, go take out your energy on one of the heavy bags."

"You guys are the worst! Damnit!" Natsu noticed Laxus was back from the locker room and heading towards the free weights in the corner. "Laxus fight me!"

"No way Natsu, I don't like sparring with you, it's like going up against a honey badger. You're too crazy and small. Bixlow should be here any minute, I'm going to work with him." He ignored Natsu's whines of protest and started stretching his arms.

"Did you talk to Gramps about the beach," Gray asked, leaning up against the wall. Natsu grumbled about being interrupted, then picked up a jump rope and began skipping rope in Gray's direction. "Crap, Natsu watch where you swing that thing, you're pissing me off!"

"Then fight me!" Natsu yelled.

"Yea, I talked to the old man about it," Laxus regarded Gray warily, "Why?"

Natsu stopped jumping and grinned wide, "Gray doesn't want you to go so that he doesn't have to share a room with Juvia." Then he added in a loud whisper, "He's scared she'll seduce him!"

Gray made a frustrated groan, "That's not it asshole! I just talked to Freed yesterday, and he said Bixlow and Ever were coming, but he wasn't sure about Laxus, I'm just curious!"

Laxus's mouth turned up in a half-grin, "You've been with Juvia what, since New Year's now? You still haven't slept in the same bed as her?"

Gray shrugged,"Look, I'm not some huge slut like you guys, I go at my own pace. So no, I haven't slept in the same bed as her, alright? I go home at the end of the night like a gentleman, something you two wouldn't know anything about."

Laxus made a befuddled expression, "I don't get it, is Juvia trying to save herself for marriage? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but why would you go home every time? You can't even cuddle every now and then?"

Natsu laughed wildly, jumping rope in circles around Gray, "No! That's the best part! It's not Juvia at all, it's Gray! He just wants to be able to wear white at his wedding."

Gray reached out to try and grab Natsu who jumped just out the way, "You're really pissing me off flame brain!"

"Yes! Fight me!" Natsu shouted in glee.

Laxus chuckled at their antics, "I didn't realize you were the type Gray, that last girl you were with we practically had to turn the hose on you."

Gray narrowed his eyes, "Yea, and look how that ended. Definitely not the same thing, don't even compare them. There's no way in hell I'm letting you two idiots rush me, this is between me and Juvia."

Laxus's smile grew malicious, "I wasn't going to go, but you know, I am starting to look a little pale, maybe I do need to go work on my tan."

"You weren't going to go to the beach!" came Bixlow's surprised voice. He set his bag on the bench nearby, "You have to go! Otherwise I'm stuck with Freed as a wingman and he blows at it. How am I supposed to pick up chicks when the guy next to me is prettier than all the girls on the beach!"

Gray raised a brow, "Why weren't you going to go? It's tradition. I thought you already kept that week open so that there wouldn't be any work we were missing."

Bixlow gave a mischievous grin, wiggling his eyebrows, "Does this have to do with the fact that all three of the Strauss's are able to come this year?"

"O damn, is Mira still with that Orga guy," Natsu stood still for the first time since he arrived at the gym, giving Laxus a concerned look.

Laxus sighed, "Don't look at me like that. Mira has nothing to do with it, I just felt like getting some quiet time away from you assholes for once. What kind of vacation involves all of the idiots I work with? Even Gajeel will be here this year because Gramps invited Levy. You fuckers are the least relaxing group on the planet."

"You know Gray, maybe you should just share a room with Laxus. You won't have to worry about him bringing anyone back to the room and you guys can cuddle, I think he needs it," Natsu offered with a grin. Bixlow barked in laughter, slapping Laxus on the back.

"Now you're pissing me off Natsu," Laxus warned.

"Yes! Fight me!" Natsu began shadow boxing around Laxus, daring him to hit back.

Just as Laxus was about to take the bait, the front doors of the gym came flying open. Erza stepped in in all her glory, wearing nothing but a white sports bra and tight red capris. "Natsu! Fight me!" She commanded, storming towards one of the mats.

"Finally!" he threw his hands up in the air in delight, then ran over to meet his doom.

"'Bout time somebody got here to make that fucker shut up," said Laxus. He nodded to Bixlow who motioned that he was going to run to the locker room to get ready.

"Seriously," Gray placed a supportive hand on Laxus shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about me or anything when you decide whether or not to go. It's not a big deal. I gotta get going, I'm meeting Juvia for lunch." Laxus gave him a grunt and a nod as a response. Then the two men slapped hands and went on their separate ways.

* * *

It was nearly closing time when Lucy heard the bell of the front door. She hoped it would be quick, she had a large order of shortbreads to decorate and she wanted to get started on them quickly. However, Lucy was happily surprised to find a familiar face when she came to the front, "Yukino?"

The silver haired girl gave a small smile and raised a hand, "Hey Lucy, long time no see!"

Lucy ran around the counter and gave her friend a huge hug. "It's so good to see you!"

Yukino's smile grew a little, "Yes, it is good to see you too!" she said, hugging Lucy back. "I needed to talk to you, is now a good time?"

"Yes! Of course! Let me lock the front door since it's closing time anyway, do you mind hanging out with me in the back while I get an order finished?" Lucy went to go turn the bolt on the front door.

"Of course not! I'd love to see your kitchen. You've done such a lovely job here, this little bakery is adorable!" Yukino exclaimed.

"Thank you," Lucy said as they headed to the back. She showed Yukino to the seat in the corner, and went right to work washing her hands and melting chocolate. She already had the ten trays stacked and waiting on her work table. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Yukino paused for a moment, watching Lucy prepare a bag of bright blue colored chocolate. "Well you see. . .it's a little serendipitous that you texted me today."

"Oh yea? And why is that?" Lucy asked, started to put blue patterns on the first tray.

"I was fired today," Yukino said with a frown.

"Fired! How could they fire you?" Lucy exclaimed, setting the chocolate down. "Your cakes are so beautiful!"

"Well, it was out of my hands really," Yukino rubbed her temples. "I'm just so unlucky! We were trying to get this order for a major event downtown, and they liked the other place's cake better. I know I gave my best, but it didn't matter, my boss wouldn't hear of it. He said that he didn't want any losers on his team."

"Oh Yuki! That's awful," Lucy cried.

"Yes, it was extremely embarrassing. He yelled at me in front of the entire bakery, and made me take off my apron and leave it there." Yukino started playing with sleeve of her cardigan.

"What are you going to do now?" Lucy asked, returning to squeezing blue chocolate on cookie after cookie.

"I'm not sure, I have some savings so I should be okay for a few months. I might move in with my sister, if it gets really bad." She stood and walked towards Lucy, "I was smart about one thing though, when I received my contract I made sure I would be able to take any of my recipes and tricks of the trade with me. I wrote them down, I was thinking you might like them." She set a notebook on the table in front of Lucy.

Lucy set the bag of chocolate down again and looked up at Yukino, her face aghast. "No Yukino, I can't accept those! There's no way I could ever do your cakes justice!"

Yukino frowned, "You have to Lucy! Who knows when I'll be able to get back in. I'll have to work out of my home kitchen! The last person who was fired ended up having to change careers, our boss blackballed him at every turn, making sure he couldn't find work anywhere." Her shoulders slumped. "I guess that's what I get for ignoring all the warning signs when I took the job, I knew he was horrible but I wanted to work for the best."

Lucy looked up at her friend. "What if you worked here? With me?"

Yukino eyes widened, "Oh Lucy, I couldn't ask you to do that!"

"Actually, that would work great, I still don't have a good cake variety since all I can handle is the little ones and cheesecakes. It would help fill a void here. I could pay you a wage for the hours you work for me and then you could give me a portion of the profit on the specialty cakes and keep the rest for you. The only problem is that at the moment I still can't afford to pay you very much," Lucy bit her lip. If Yukino could come work with her, she might actually be able to get a break every once and a while. Lucy prayed Yukino would say yes.

Yukino tapped the table with a fingernail. "Well, I wouldn't need too much, and maybe we could schedule a time to renegotiate after we make sure having me here is beneficial. Are your fridges large enough to hold a few cakes at a time?"

"I think so," Lucy said. "Why don't you take a look around? I'll finish up this order and then we can sit down and look at some real numbers!"

Yukino smiled and said with a sniffle, "That sounds great!"

"Oh no! Yuki are you crying?" Lucy said, her face twisted in concern.

"It's just, I can't believe I'll still have a chance to bake, this is so kind of you!" Yukino exclaimed wiping a tear from her eye.

Lucy came round the counter and gave Yukino a hug, "Of course! What are friends for?"

* * *

By the time the front doorbell finally rang, Levy was a mess. She had everything ready, the pot pie Lucy had helped her make was in the oven, everything was wiped down and dusted, the new floors shone and the walls were clean with the fresh paint Gajeel had done last weekend. She looked like she had her entire life together, even if she was a giant disaster. She shouldn't be nervous, it was just her mother. She knew her mom wouldn't be mad, but she just couldn't bare it if her mother was disappointed.

Gajeel gave her a supportive nod, and left to go sit on the back porch and have a beer. Levy swallowed deeply and went to open the front door. It was a relief to see a small smile on her mother's face. "This is a very good house you picked here, I can tell, very good bones," Belno said with a nod.

"You think so?" Levy said giving her mother a kiss on the cheek. "How was your trip? Did everything go okay?"

Her mother entered into the house, turning her head side to side to take it all in. "It was lovely, the natives on Galuna Island were fascinating. So in tune with nature and spiritual, I could have stayed a whole year!"

They entered the living room, and her mother took a seat. Levy hesitated to start up real conversations, she felt so nervous! "Can I get you something to drink? Dinner should be ready in about half an hour."

"Oh no, sit and chat with me for a bit," Belno patted the couch next to her. "It's been so long since I've been able to have a decent conversation with you! All of our phone calls have been so short!"

"I'm sorry mom, you know I don't really like talking on the phone," Levy grimaced.

"Of course, so how's work going? Everything good at the book store," her mother asked

"Great actually, Jet found me a senior on his track team who is very responsible. He's now able to close and open the shop when I can't be there. It's so nice to have someone to rely on," Levy smiled.

"Well that was nice of Jet! It's good for you too, you work too much. And how about this house? When did you move out of the apartment? How were you able to afford such a sweet little place?" Her mother asked with a small smile.

"I moved out just a few weeks ago," Levy hesitated to answer the next question. She took a deep breath, "I don't own the house by myself mom, I'm living with someone."

Her mother gave her a knowing smile, "Oh I'm so glad! Gajeel finally grew some balls."

Levy nearly choked, "Mother!"

"I could tell how he felt for you, that lonely idiot. I can't count how many times I told he should just tell you," Belno said with a fond look on her face.

Levy stared at her horrified. "And . . .what . . .what did he say?"

Her mother chuckled, "To quit my nagging."

"I still can't believe you told him that!" Levy covered her mouth in shock.

"Why not? You two are perfect for each other, your auras just meld, both such old souls. Also it has been such a relief to know I could count on him to look after you, now that your father has passed away, and I'm traveling all the time. You need somebody to make sure you take that nose out of a book and see the real world every once and a while," Belno pulled her daughter into a hug.

"I don't know what to say, I didn't realize you would be so okay about this," Levy said.

"You don't have to say anything, I'm just so happy for you dear," Belno patted Levy's knee.

Levy grimaced, "Well there is a little bit more actually."

Belno tilted her head, "Is something else going on?"

"Well, you see . . .umm . . .it's just," Levy struggled, this was good information, why was telling her mother so hard? "Well . . ." Levy made a deep sigh, "we're going to have a baby."

"What!" her mother's mouth was opened in shock, "A baby?"

Levy closed her eyes, "I'm so sorry mom, I know this probably seems out of nowhere. We didn't plan it, it just kinda happened."

Levy's mother hugged her again tightly, stroking Levy's hair, "Oh Levy, that's wonderful news! Sorry for my reaction, I'm just so surprised!" She pulled Levy back so she could show her smile, "Now where is that man hiding, geez he moves fast. I thought he would at least wait until I knew he was dating you before giving me a grandchild!"

Levy was appalled, "Mother!"

Belno rose to her feet and headed towards the back of the house, waving Levy off. "Oh sweetheart, let an old woman have her fun. It's obvious you two have." She gave Levy a wink and opened the back door. Levy shook her head a smiled, watching her mother tease a shocked Gajeel in the backyard.

* * *

Lucy strapped the ice pack tightly around Natsu's midsection, "Well I guess that's what you get for trying to take on Erza."

Natsu placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder and looked at her with his face screwed up in anguish, "Oi, Luce, have some compassion. It was either me or you, Erza was just so mad about the cake."

Lucy breathed in quickly and covered her mouth, his expression making her feel guilty,"Oh no! She was really that upset? I feel terrible!"

Natsu doubled over in a mixture of laughs and pained groans. "Of course not! She just told me about it after. Erza always manages to kick my ass. Although I was close this time. Geez, teasing you is almost too easy!"

Lucy smacked him on the back of the head, "Maybe I won't be so easy tonight," she threatened. Lucy walked away from him towards the kitchen. She had pasta boiling and it would need a good stirring.

Natsu followed behind her, wrapping his arms around her and leaning his chin on her shoulder. "Oh Lucy, as if you have any control over that."

"Natsu!" she shrieked, shoving him away, getting a small satisfaction from the pained sound he made. Shows him for mocking her.

"Jeez Lucy, you been lifting weights," Natsu complained, taking a seat at the table with a groan.

Lucy stirred the pasta in the pot. She tasted her meat sauce, the flavor was just right. It wasn't the most exciting meal, but it was all she could handle after a late night of decorating cookies and tending to Natsu. "I have big news," she said with a smile.

"Oh yea," Natsu said, "So you are going to be easy after all? Cause I don't really have the energy to put a lot of work."

Lucy rolled her eyes. She tested one piece of pasta for doneness and threw another one at his face, "Will you get your mind out of the gutter for one second!" She poured the pasta into the colander in the sink and then returned it to the pot, mixing the sauce in and enjoying the smell of tomato and garlic that wafted up to her nose. "I'm going to have someone working with me at the bakery."

Natsu perked up, like a puppy who heard his name. "Does this mean?"

"Well, I'm not one hundred percent sure, but she is really good so, yea, I'm probably going to be able to go to the beach."

"Yes!" Natsu hopped up from the table and swung her around the kitchen, "We're going to have so much fun!" His dance was short lived however, when the pain in his ribcage from the sudden movement cut through his joy, doubling him over in pain, "Damnit, Erza really got me good."

Lucy laughed and rubbed his back, "You're ridiculous! Come on, let's get some food in you so we can get you to bed."

He looked up at her, grinning through the pain, "Now you're talking!"

* * *

Laxus had only been at Mira's for ten minutes and he was already ready to go. If one more person mentioned the beach he was going to lose his mind. It was just two weeks away, and he got that everyone was so excited, but memories of last year didn't sit well in his stomach. From just the simple time of hanging out with Mira and his friends, to all those times he and Mira snuck off when everyone else was distracted. He knew it just wouldn't be the same this year. He probably wouldn't even be able to hang with Mira, much less sneak off with her. She would be bringing Orga. And somehow Erza, Gray, and even Natsu had ended up with significant others this year, which meant constantly being reminded his current lonely state.

He looked across the table noticing the quick heated glance between Elfman and Evergreen. That had to have been at least the sixth time this night! If Bixlow and Freed started making eyes at each other he was leaving and never coming back, it seemed like everybody was hooking up now that he wasn't.

Cana pulled up a chair next to him, turning it around so she could straddle it and lean on the back. "So you're coming right? You aren't going to leave me alone for lovefest 2016 are you?"

Laxus chuckled and took a sip of his beer, "I'm still thinking about it."

Cana groaned and threw her head back, "You have to though, I've already told Gramps I would be there and I promised Lisanna. She doesn't want to be a lonely single either."

"Bixlow and Freed are going," Laxus offered.

"Oh please, Freed will just make disapproving looks every time I'm rowdy, and Bixlow is wasted after like three beers," Cana scoffed.

"Hey! I heard that!" complained Bixlow.

"It was . . . accurate," added Freed, taking a sip of his scotch.

"How are both you and Mira going to be able to go anyway?" Laxus asked.

"We're leaving Mest and Bacchus in charge," Cana looked over to the bar where Bacchus was doing shots with a particularly rowdy group of bar patrons. "Probably not our best decision. . ."

"I don't know Cana, I'm not going to exactly be much of a good time either," Laxus said.

"You big idiot just come," Cana said, stealing a sip of his beer.

"Are you not coming to the beach with us Laxus?" came Mira's voice from behind him.

He looked back to see her disappointed face and Orga's pensive one. "I haven't decided," he said taking back to his beer back from Cana with a look of warning. She merely shrugged and smiled.

He was then surprised to feel Mira's body suddenly draped over his back, her arms around his neck. She turned her head to look at him, her eyes sad and concerned, "But you have to go Laxus, we've made this trip all together every year for the past ten years! It's tradition!" Mira must have already had a few to be so affectionate, and he could sense Orga's glare burning a hole through his back. He cut his eyes to Cana and wished he could slap the smug grin off her face. She knew as well as he did that he couldn't say no to a request like that from Mira, at least not anymore.

He sighed, "Alright Mira, I'll go." She squealed in delight and gave him a kiss on the cheek, but then bounded back to Orga. He took another sip and looked up at Freed who was watching him studiously. That idiot needed to stop worrying about him so much. Laxus gave a fake smile and leaned back in his seat, "Looks like us single losers are going to have to pack an entire liquor store, it's going to be a crazy week." The whole table clinked glasses and cheered.


	19. Life is a Beach Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makarov takes all his favorite brats on their annual beach trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter that wouldn't stop growing so now it's in two parts. Which worked out, now this fic will have NSFW content at chap 10 and 20. I'll have to plan something good for 30 :). Hope you all enjoy it, thanks for the kudos! Chapter 20 is mostly finished, I should have it posted as well either tonight or tomorrow.

* * *

 

By the time Lucy got out of the bathroom attached to their room, Natsu was dancing in place. "Hurry Lucy! Gray is going to beat us!"

Lucy sighed and pulled some sunscreen out her bag. She pushed her ponytail over her shoulder and turned her back to Natsu, "Pretty sure that doesn't matter, can you put lotion on my back please?"

Natsu looked at her barely covered body, and at the lotion, then back to her body, swallowing deeply. The combination of the beach and Lucy was already becoming his favorite. Her white bikini with pale pink flowers was enough to make him reconsider going out to the ocean at all, but then he noticed Gray and Juvia slowly making their way towards the beach that was the vacation home's backyard. "Nope, can't, there's no time!" He ran over and grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder and bursting out of the door to the porch.

"Natsu! I almost missed grabbing my bag! What the hell are you doing?" she screamed.

He ignored her fury and ran down the stairs, laughing like a madman. When he hit the ground he sprinted full force, blowing by Juvia and Gray, ignoring their complaints about how he caused them to lose hold of their umbrella. Luckily Lucy had the presence of mind to drop her bag on the beach, because Natsu wasn't stopping. He leapt into the small waves, pulling Lucy into the water, laughing at her sounds of distress. "Yes!" He dropped Lucy accidentally when he pointed a finger at Gray, who was helping Juvia set up the umbrella on the beach. "In your face Gray! First in the ocean!"

Lucy rose from beneath the water like an angry mermaid and threw her body at Natsu, successfully pinning him underneath. "I wasn't ready you idiot!"

When she released him, he popped his head up with a grin and gave her a wink, "Sorry Luce." She put a hand out to help him up, but instead of using it to rise from the water, Natsu pulled her to him kissing her firmly and squeezing her butt.

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed with a scandalized expression on her face.

"What? It's not like they can see, were mostly underwater!" Natsu said with a grin.

Lucy rolled her eyes and shoved his head back under. She ignored his sputtering and waded her way back to the beach. Still full of energy from his excitement about the ocean, Lucy, and being more awesome than Gray, Natsu quickly caught up to her, bounding beside her like an enthusiastic Labrador.

When they made their way back up to Lucy's bag on the beach, Gray was staring at them with his arms crossed, a smug grin on his face, "Good going idiot, nothing says I love you quite like a drowning."

Juvia had pulled off her coverup, revealing her navy and polka dot two piece and bent over to find her sunscreen in her bag. She called to Gray and asked, "Gray-sama? When Juvia finds her sunscreen can you get Juvia's back?"When Gray turned to look at her, both his sarcastic smirk and the color in his cheeks drained from his face.

He swallowed deeply, "You sure you can't get it by yourself."

Natsu grinned, casting a knowing glance at Gray, "Don't worry Juvia, I can get that for you since Gray doesn't want to dirty his hands."

Gray grabbed Natsu's arm, stopping him from heading in Juvia's direction, "I don't think so you fiery mouth breather! Don't you dare touch Juvia with your dirty paws!"

There was an impish glint in Natsu's eyes when he turned to look at his captor, "Oh yea? And what are you going to do about it frosty nips?" He asked flicking Gray on the nipple. Gray growled in rage, tackling Natsu on the beach. They rolled around, each trying to get the upper hand, turning into a mess of limbs and wet sand.

Lucy rolled her eyes and stepped around them, "Here let me see that Juvia, I'll help you. Natsu didn't get my back either." She took the sunscreen that Juvia gratefully offered her. "If we wait for these idiots, we'll never get any sun!"

* * *

Juvia frowned, after half a year of dating, she still felt like she didn't understand her Gray at all. When they had arrived at the beach house, she had been thrilled to see that they would finally be forced to share a bed. So far in their relationship, Gray had been taking his time, so much so that it felt like time was holding still. She would get a kiss here or there, but every time things became hot and heavy, Gray suddenly pulled away from her and found an excuse to leave. She knew during this trip it would be silly to expect that to change much, but the possibility of a night of cuddling made her swoon.

Unfortunately, when they arrived back at their room after a day of enjoying the beach, Gray had grabbed the extra blanket from the closet and a pillow from his side of the bed. She stood there stupefied by his strange behavior, barely reacting when he kissed her cheek and said "Good night." Now he was dead asleep, on the floor of all places, and Juvia couldn't get all the doubts in her brain to shut off. Why was Gray avoiding intimate contact with her? Was it something she was doing wrong? Did he even find her attractive in the first place? What kind of guy didn't want to spend the night with his girlfriend?

She sat up and watched him sleep, a small frown on her face. She knew it wasn't a religion thing. Juvia also knew it wasn't a wait until marriage thing, or even a nervous first time type of thing, because Gray had been honest with her about his past relationships. Juvia fell back dramatically on her pillow and stared at the ceiling. She would have to confront Gray about this, but how to bring it up? What if he was mad at her for asking, or even worse, what if the answer was something she couldn't handle?

Juvia pulled out her phone and started sorting through her work emails, if she was ever going to get some sleep, she would have to distract her brain.

* * *

"I don't want to go out to the beach today. I think maybe I'll just take a nap here," Levy frowned her reflection in the mirror, adjusting and readjusting her two piece swim suit.

"What? Why?" Gajeel called from their bathroom, where he was attempting to tame back his mane.

"Everyone looks so cute in their bathing suits and I look like a beached whale!" Levy exclaimed.

Gajeel couldn't help but laugh. At twenty-four weeks, Levy was definitely showing now and she was adorable. He walked out of the bathroom and pulled her back up against him, wrapping his arms around her to rest his hands on her growing midsection. "The last thing you look like is a beached whale. Who are you worried about impressing out there? I think you look sexy as hell!"

Levy smiled and leaned up against him with her eyes closed. "I love you," she said with a satisfied hum. Gajeel felt happiness wash over him. A year ago there was no way he would have ever believed he could have a moment like this.

He bent down and kissed her head saying, "Some sun would do ya some good. Let's get your books and I'll help you set up a nice quiet place down there to read." Gajeel felt a small flutter below his hand on her belly, and it made his heart jump to his throat and a grin grow wide on his face. There really was something in there, it blew his mind.

Levy breathed in sharply in surprise, then looked up at him with a smile, "Looks like the baby thinks that's a great idea!"

* * *

"I am El Niño, Spanish for . . .the niño, fear my wrath!" Gray stood on top of the counter, completely nude, and chucking ice cubes at the people trying to play board games in the living room.

"Don't you mean La Niña? That's the one that brings the cold temperatures," said Freed, not looking up from his game of Scrabble with Evergreen.

Natsu laughed, "Hear that ice princess! Freed called you a girl!"

"Last I checked," Gray said motioning to his naked body, "this is all man right here!" Making Natsu double over in laughter.

Juvia was beat red. What in the world had caused him to drink so much? Then Cana's head poked out from behind him and she gave Juvia a wink, "You're welcome!"

"Cana! Why did you make Gray drink so much?" Lisanna exclaimed.

"Yes, Cana! Explain yourself! How am I supposed to win if you distract everyone from the game like this!" Erza fumed, angrily setting her cards on the table.

Cana shrugged, "It's not my fault he took the bait like an idiot, he knows better than to try and out drink me."

"I'm a grown man, I make my own decisions!" Gray slurred, starting an ice cube assault on Erza.

Erza stood abruptly, fire in her eyes. Juvia could tell that things were going downhill fast. "Sorry Erza, don't worry, Juvia will go take Gray-sama to bed."

"Make sure you punish him promptly," Erza said, not removing her death glare from the nudist on the counter.

Juvia turned to Gray and narrowed her eyes. "Believe me, Juvia will."

Gray widened his eyes at her and gave a tiny squeak. "All you ladies are no fun. Can't punish me if you can't catch me!" he proclaimed. Leaping from the counter, he ran to the stairs towards the safety of their room.

Bixlow fell out of his seat, his giggles were so out of control. Natsu leaned on a frowning Lucy, barking in laughter, "Drunk Gray is the best!" Juvia was definitely sure that she didn't agree.

After gathering up his clothes, Juvia gave everyone a wave and followed after her inebriated boyfriend. When Juvia opened the door to their room, Gray was passed out in the middle of their bed, in all his naked glory. She sighed and her lips turned up in a little smile. He sure made an idiot of himself, but Gray definitely had a cute butt. After brushing her teeth, and changing into a light night shirt, she lay down on the bed next to him. She gently touched his face and he didn't move a muscle. Then she looked down at his butt again, he did deserve some sort of punishment. Unable to help herself she gave one of the cheeks a pinch.

Gray's eye's snapped open, he looked up at Juvia like she was as bright at the sun. "I sorry Juvia, I was bad," he slurred with a frown.

Juvia crossed her arms and looked away from him, "Yes, you were Gray-sama. Juvia is very disappointed."

She was surprised when he deftly pulled himself up and grabbed her around the waist, resting his head on her bosom, "Please forgive me Juvia, I'll never . . .do . . .it . . .again." He sighed and happily buried himself further into her chest.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia was confused as to whether she should stop this or just let herself enjoy his closeness. He was so warm and he looked so happy, so she decided on the later, and ran her fingers through his hair.

He looked up at her with one eye closed, "You're so pretty," he breathed out deeply and settled back in, "I just love you so much."

Juvia was overjoyed with his proclamation. "Juvia loves you too Gray-sama," she said, but his response was a snore. She smiled and made herself comfortable, falling asleep to the rhythm of his breaths.

* * *

Laxus picked up his beer and snuck out into the night, releasing a sigh of relief to be engulfed in darkness and quiet. He set his beer down and looked around, for once he was alone, he could finally breathe for a bit. Laxus pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, and selected one, placing it in his mouth, and then returned the rest of the pack to it's hiding place. He was in the process of lighting it when he was startled by a voice to his right, "You're smoking again!"

Laxus froze then cut his eyes over to see a furious Mira standing at the top of the stairs to the lower deck. She must have come up from where the porch attached to her room a few floors below. He frowned, she wasn't his keeper, he could do what he wanted. Laxus began lighting his cigarette again and mumbled, "Obviously."

She stomped over to him, ripped the cigarette from his mouth, and put it out on the railing, "Mira! You're going to ruin the deck! I don't wanna have to fix that!"

"I don't care about the stupid deck, you shouldn't be smoking!" Her voice had gone up an octave and her hands waved wildly when she spoke. "Don't you care about your health? It was so hard for you to quit, why would you start up again?"

Laxus narrowed his eyes at her. Who gave a shit about his health? He was doing a lot of things that were bad for him these days, he might as well do one that made him feel better. "Well you know me Mira, I've gotta be addicted to something. I stop doing one vice and I need to pick up another." He cringed, he shouldn't have said that out loud. She wasn't a vice, he hoped she hadn't pick up on the implication. Laxus licked his lower lip and, without thinking, he pulled the rest of the pack out of his pocket, spurned on by the desire to calm his nerves.

Mira snatched the remaining cigarettes from his hands and chucked it over the deck. Laxus watched in disbelief as they floated to the ground and landed right in the middle of the pool. "What the hell Mira!"

Mira's face was scrunched up in anger. She breathed out loudly through her nose and then spat, "You're an asshole!"

"Well, no shit Mira, quit trying to change it!" Again he internally cringed, maybe it was time to call it a night before it got more out of hand. He breathed out deeply and tried to get his cool, then, grabbing his beer, he pushed past her and headed for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" she demanded.

Laxus didn't even bother looking back when he said, "To get the damn cigarettes, they're going to make a mess of the fucking pool." When he got down to the deck on the first level of the house where most of the bedrooms were, he almost ran straight into Orga, freshly showered and on his way up. Laxus ignored the man's glaring expression and continued to the ground floor. He didn't have time for that, his entire weeks worth of escapes were still drowning in the chlorine.

* * *

Gray woke up to a pounding in his head. He groaned, stupid Cana, he knew that drink tasted too strong. He was so comfortable that he didn't want to get up just yet, he just wished the headache would go away on its own. When Gray went to burrow deeper in the pillow, he realized it wasn't a pillow at all. His eyes flew open and he glanced up to see Juvia sleeping peacefully, with a smile on her face. He had slept on Juvia, and he didn't have to glance down to realize he was completely naked. Gray leapt out of bed and hurried over to find underwear in his bag. His head ached from the sudden movement, and somehow seemed to hurt worse when he realized he couldn't remember anything from the night before.

"Gray-sama?" came Juvia's sleepy voice from behind him. He straightened and turned to her. Her cheeks were rosy with sleep and her blue hair was a disheveled mess. She was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. "Are you okay Gray-sama? Juvia could go get water and medicine," she offered.

He walked over and sat on the side of the bed. Gray did his best to smile when he said, "Nah, I'm fine." Then there was a stabbing of pain behind his right eye, causing him to clutch his face. His statement made not very convincing.

She sat up and gently rubbed his back, "I guess Gray-sama got his punishment after all," Juvia smiled sweetly.

Gray kept his eyes hidden in his hands, the pressure seemed to make the pain more bearable. "I didn't try . . ." Gray gulped, "I didn't do anything . . .inappropriate last night, did I?"

Juvia giggled, "Well Gray-sama did dance around on the counter naked and throw ice cubes at Erza . . ."

Gray sighed, Erza was going to be a real peach today then. "No, Juvia . . .I mean in here. I didn't make you uncomfortable or anything, did I?"

Juvia didn't say anything. Gray was forced to pull his face from his hands so he could see her expression. He hoped he hadn't slept with her, the last thing he wanted was for his first time with her to be a drunken mess. Gray's heart dropped when he saw hurt in her expression, what had he done?

"Gray-sama," Juvia swallowed, "Why are you so afraid to be with me?"

That was the last thing Gray expected to come out of her mouth. "What? Where would you get a crazy idea with that?"

"What does Gray-sama mean a crazy idea?" Juvia's brows turned down. "The first night we were here, Gray-sama slept on the floor as if Juvia was going to attack him in his sleep."

Gray stared at her in disbelief, had it really come across like that? "And Gray-sama still hasn't done anything but kiss Juvia. And every time Juvia tries to touch Gray-sama he jumps away from her." Juvia buried her face in her hands now, as if embarrassed by her ramblings, but she continued on. "Gray-sama never spends the night at Juvia's house and Gray-sama rarely initiates contact. Does Gray-sama not find Juvia attractive? Is Gray-sama ashamed to be with Juvia?"

"Shit, no Juvia," Gray said. He shifted over on the bed and pulled her into his arms without hesitation, knowing that this time he shouldn't hold back and that she would need his touch. He felt terrible, noticing the tears starting to form in her eyes. How could he have fucked this up so bad?

"I'm sorry Juvia, I'm just . . .I'm just not good at this stuff, this," he couldn't help but laugh at himself, "this human interaction stuff. God, I'm a fucking robot."

"No, no, Gray-sama is not a robot, Juvia is just a crybaby," Juvia cried into his chest.

Gray sighed, then lifted her chin to make her look at him, "No, there is nothing wrong with you, you aren't a crybaby. And of course I find you attractive. Juvia you are like the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life. Why in the world would I be ashamed of being with you? It's just," he sighed heavily, looking into eyes that studied him so intensely. He couldn't lie to her, she would see right through him. Still he couldn't look at her when he admitted, "I want you so bad, but I'm afraid if I start I won't be able to control myself."

Juvia looked at him confused, "What does Gray-sama mean by controlling himself? Why would Gray-sama need to control himself around Juvia?"

Gray hid his face again, wishing he could take back the last thing he said. He wasn't ready for this conversation. Still the last thing he had ever wanted was to make Juvia doubt herself. Gray had to explain, he had to be honest with her so she would understand it wasn't her fault. "You remember how I told you about the girl, Minerva, I was seeing a few years back?" Juvia nodded. "Well, when we started dating I would say we were friends. We spent a lot of time hanging out, seeing movies, riding bikes, you know whatever, date stuff. After we . . ." he paused, feeling awkward under her attentive gaze, "we had sex, she changed. She didn't want to do anything else. At first I thought I was the luckiest guy ever, but after a while it just didn't feel right anymore. We never did anything else, much less talk. It wasn't even a relationship anymore. Then when I told her I didn't want to do that all the time anymore, she was pissed. She broke up with me saying she guessed I wasn't man enough to handle her. I blew it off then, but I guess I took it more to heart than I realized."

Juvia tilted her head giving him a sad look, "Oh Gray-sama . . ."

"It's not that I don't want to be with you, or hold you, or eventually make love to you. I just don't want to lose that other side of us, so I've been trying to go slow." He scratched the back of his head, "I guess I really fucked this up huh?"

"Gray-sama, it's okay, but you need to tell Juvia these things. Juvia can't read Gray-sama's mind," she hugged him tightly and then looked up at him again. "Juvia just wishes Gray-sama would trust her and not feel the need to hold back. Gray-sama should be able to be himself and be comfortable with Juvia. Take your time though, Juvia will be right here."

"God, I feel like an asshole," Gray covered his face again.

Juvia kissed his cheek and pulled herself out of bed, pulling her hair up in a ponytail while she headed to the bathroom. "Juvia knows that Gray-sama has trouble believing it right now, but Juvia does see Gray-sama as more than just a sweet piece of ass."

Gray nearly choked in surprise at her humor. He looked up with a shocked grin and she winked at him, "Juvia cherishes _all_ her time with Gray-sama, especially the quiet conversations." She disappeared into the bathroom and Gray fell back on the bed, clutching his aching head. He still felt like an asshole, but at least a weight was lifted from his chest.

* * *

After a relaxing day of playing on the beach and in the pool, the entire house was exhausted. Makarov set down the freshly delivered pizzas and turned to address them, "Alright my children, it's that time again. Put your money where your mouth is, we're playing Rummoli!" His announcement was met with a combination of groans and cheers.

He carried a box to the table, pulling out the cards and chips. Then unfolded the mat reverently in the middle of the table. "It's a twenty dollar buy in, we'll do teams of two since the number of you keeps growing," he grumbled with a twinkle in his eye.

Everyone took a seat at the table, even those who weren't excited to be roped into the game, and handed their buy-in to Erza, the obvious choice for banker. Cana sat down with a bottle of Parrot Bay, "Well, I've got the rum!" she said, taking a sip.

"Good," Makarov said as he shuffled the deck, "Cana will be my partner," he grabbed her bottle and took a sip. "The rest of you figure it out."

The game went at a jovial pace, Erza only yelled at Jellal twice for making what she considered poor decisions. Evergreen and Elfman were out first, which led to a lot of yelling on Evergreen's part. They both went their separate ways in a huff, but they met on the beach out back and wandered off together. Everyone just pretended not to notice.

Cana was passed out drunk on the table by midway through, but it didn't bother Makarov one bit, he was awake this late for the first time in years and the rum was making him a mad man, "Hurry up Natsu, do you want the widow or not? We haven't got all day here for your lollygagging!"

"Oi, old man, lay off me!" Natsu then whispered to his partner, "Lucy, do we want the extra hand."

Unfortunately for him, Lucy was not her usual self. She draped her body across his back and looked at their cards with one eye closed as if looking through a scope. A few serious nods and she exclaimed with a smile, "Go Fish!" falling into his lap in a puddle of cackling, drunk mess.

"Damnit Lucy, that's not the game! I was counting on you to win this for us!" Natsu looked at his hand again, absentmindedly petting the purring human being that was curled up on his thighs. "I guess no, gramps, I don't want the cards," he huffed.

"Cana strikes again," giggled Lisanna, sorting the cards in her hand.

"Is Lucy going to dance naked on the counter for us tonight then? Cause that's a show I'd actually like to see," Bixlow teased.

Natsu's eyes blazed, "All you'll see is my fist in your face!"

"You sure you don't want any rum tonight Gray? We could always go for a repeat performance," Mira teased, leaning into Orga when he affectionately rubbed her thigh.

Gray's face turned a shade of green and he fell forward into his arms on the table, "Please don't talk about alcohol."

Jellal teasingly pushed his glass close to Gray's face, "Of course you don't want any of the rum, how silly of Mira to suggest it. You want some of the scotch Freed and I are drinking?"

Gray's face turned greener and he leapt from the table. "You know, I think I'm going to call it a night," and he left at a quick pace.

Juvia stood and pushed their pile of chips over to a grinning Gajeel, currently playing on his own as Levy was making tiny snores in the living room. "Juvia also thinks she will call it a night, good luck everyone!"

"Hey! That's not fair, Metal Face shouldn't get all your chips," complained Natsu, staring at his cards as if he was waiting for them to reveal the future.

"Gotta pay for that crib somehow," said Gajeel, leaning back in his chair with a cocky grin.

"It will not be with winnings from this game, I can assure you of that," said Erza confidently. "Come on, let's get this moving, do you want the extra deck Freed?"

Freed turned to Laxus who only shrugged, taking a sip of his drink with a disinterested look on his face. "All you man."

"We will pass," said Freed.

"Natsu," Lucy moaned from his lap.

"Huh?" Natsu looked down at her goofy face, "What is it Lucy?"

She held something up in front of his face, "Do you want this pizza?"

Natsu scrunched his nose up in disgust, "No! That's not even pizza, it's a dirty paper towel from under the table. You can't be serious Luce!"

Lucy rolled off his lap and onto the floor, curling in a ball under the table. "Natsu didn't want my pizza," she sobbed.

Natsu sighed, leaning back in his chair and looking down at his mess of a girlfriend. "Oi Luce! Why'd you have to drink so much!"

Cana threw an arm up without moving any other part of her sleeping body, "You're welcome!" she slurred.

Natsu slid his chips over to Makarov, "Guess Cana did her job taking out the competition. Give em hell old man."

Makarov laughed loudly, "You know I will brat!"

Natsu pulled the chair away from the table and crouched down next to Lucy. "Come on Lucy, let's get you to bed." Lucy shook her head into her arms like a sullen child.

"Maybe baby wants some catnip," suggested Bixlow with a grin.

Natsu pulled Lucy into his arms and stood. She burrowed into him and meowed. Natsu frowned, "You don't talk to her! She's my weirdo cat!" Then he grinned real big and gave them all a wink, "I'm off to bed losers, see ya in the morning!"

Natsu couldn't help but chuckle when Lucy nuzzled his neck and purred again. "You're going to be a disaster in the morning." He was thankful that the door to their room was cracked because he had two hands full of Lucy. Kicking the door behind him, he walked over and gently placed her on the bed.

He turned to the bathroom to go get ready for bed when he heard Lucy call from behind him, "You don't want to play with me?" Natsu looked at Lucy who was on her hands and knees, looking up at him with a pout.

Not wasting a second he jumped on the bed, throwing his hands behind his head to give the appearance of being relaxed. "What did you have in mind?"

Lucy crawled over top of him. Natsu couldn't help but giggle, she could barely keep her eyes open when she was over top of him slurring, "You'll see." She burrowed her face into his neck, nibbling sloppily on his ear lobe.

Natsu chuckled, "You're a mess Luce." He knew she didn't hear him though because her body had become heavy, and instead of attempting bites, she was breathing heavily in his ear. He brushed the hair from her face and kissed her forehead. "I love you, you perverted kitty cat," Natsu said with a grin.

* * *

Juvia lay on her side of the bed facing the wall. She listened to the sounds of Gray getting ready in the bathroom. He had just finished brushing his teeth and would soon come to bed, wherever it was he decided he wanted to sleep. She wasn't going to push him, he was going to have to make these decisions on his own time. Juvia was so nervous, she was afraid to even look at him when she heard him leave the bathroom and pause. Even though she couldn't see it, Juvia could feel his eyes upon her, she wished she could read his mind.

He took a few steps towards the bed and she sensed him put a hand on the pillow. Disappointment settled in her stomach, he was going to go to the floor, he wasn't ready to take this step. She waited for him to step away. It felt like a lifetime that he stood there next to the bed, hand on the pillow. What was he waiting for?

Then, she was surprised to feel the blankets lift and the bed shift from his weight settling in next to her. She was almost breathless now with excitement. Juvia couldn't believe Gray was really climbing in next to her. She almost jumped when his arm snaked around her middle and he pulled her tightly up against him. "Argh, I still feel terrible," he groaned into her hair and she smiled. Leave it to Gray to try and play this off like it was no big deal. She turned her head back to look him in the eye. He gave her a small smile back and a chaste kiss on the lips.

She turned back and snuggled more into his hold, then whispered, "I love you Gray-sama."

There was a long silence that made Juvia think maybe he had fallen asleep. Just when she had closed her eyes, giving up on hearing anything back from him, his voice rumbled softly in her ear. "I love you too, Juvia."

* * *

The game was finally over, Makarov still dancing on the table in front of Erza in victory, and most of the other players had long gone to bed. Laxus sat on the top deck, staring out at the ocean. A lot of the trip had sucked, but he had to admit, there was nothing more peaceful than the sound of the waves and the cool breeze blowing though his hair. The only problem was that, being out in the quiet away from all the noise and distractions, led him to thoughts about things he wasn't prepared to tackle.

He felt like this week was solidifying in his mind that Mira wasn't his anymore and that she probably wouldn't be ever again. He breathed out deeply, regretting letting her catch him with his cigarettes a few nights back. Also regretting not being able to buy a pack when he ran by the store earlier that day. He just couldn't get her disappointed look out of his head, so he had purchased a pack of gum instead. The gum wasn't relaxing in the slightest.

He closed his eyes and sipped his beer, focusing on the sounds of the ocean, trying to let the noise clear his head. Laxus's peace was quickly broken by the sound of footsteps approaching. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see Mira coming towards him, a shy smile on her face. "Can I join you?" she asked.

"Sure," Laxus said, shifting in his seat towards her. He looked at the stairs she had come up from, "No Orga?"

Mira giggled and took a beer from the six pack Laxus had by his feet. "No, we were watching a movie and he passed out. I figured he wouldn't mind if I went to get a bit of fresh air."

Laxus looked back at the ocean. "I don't suppose he would."

"So . . .whatcha doing up here by yourself," Mira asked.

"Getting some fresh air," Laxus took another sip of beer.

There was an awkward pause, then Mira quickly said, "I'm sorry I took your cigarettes, it wasn't my place."

Laxus looked over at her, she was messing with the label on her beer and cutely crinkling her nose.

"Nah, I was gonna quit soon anyway. It was stupid of me to start again."

She looked up at him, biting her lip, then turned her focus back to the beer, "Do you . . .do you think we'll ever be able to go back to normal again?"

"I don't really know what that means Mira," Laxus raised a brow.

"It's just, you're family to me," Mira looked him in the eye, "and you've always been one of my best friends. These last few months have been so . . ." Mira turned away from him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She stood suddenly and gave him a weak smile, "Sorry, never mind. I don't know what I'm talking about. Just ignore me."

Laxus narrowed his eyes, sank back in his seat, and crossed his arms, "I'm not very good at ignoring you Mira."

Mira's face reddened and her eyes grew wide. She looked at her feet, "You know, I should get back to my room. Orga will be wondering where I am if he wakes." She turned away from him and practically sprinted towards the stairs, leaving behind a half drank bottle by her chair.

Laxus watched her retreat with a tilted head, confused expression on his face. What the hell was that about?

 

 


	20. Life is a Beach Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezra and Evergreen brawl on the beach causing the whole group to separate for the night, Mira finds herself torn as to where she wants to go
> 
> NSFW content! marked the worst of it with *

* * *

 

"My comrades, we must be strong! If we can all fight as one, the enemy will be destroyed," Erza declared to the huddle.

"This is just a volleyball game, right? Should Juvia be concerned," Juvia whispered.

"Just let her have it, she's on a roll," Jellal winked.

Erza stood tall and pointed to the other side of the net where the Thunder Legion, the Strauss's and Orga all waited for the game to begin. "Do your worst villains! You will not prevail!"

"Like hell we won't!" called back Lisanna, to the cheers of the rest of her team.

"Cana, stop drinking! We need you focused on the game!" Erza called to the brunette at the edge of their sandy court.

Cana quickly chugged her margarita and then handed the glass to Makarov, who sat watching with a smile on the sidelines. "Okay, okay, I'm coming. Don't get your panties in a bunch!"

Levy sat enjoying her book and Lucy was passed out on a towel, unable to be much use to anyone after a night of overindulgence. Erza was still confident they would win, Gajeel and Juvia were very athletic. Also for once, Laxus would not be on the other side of the net. Since Lucy couldn't play with her hangover, Laxus had offered to take himself out, and left to walk up the beach. The team across the net was without it's leader and Erza was not above taking advantage of it.

With Natsu making the first serve, the game was on. Back and forth the ball bounced, with the score remaining close and everyone doing their best. Finally, after nearly an hour and three times of rescuing the ball from the ocean, it was tied up twenty to twenty. They were playing to twenty-one and the next score would win. Erza had the perfect serve, it arched over the next, just missed by Everygreen, hitting right in front of the make-shift line. Her whole team cheered and hugged in celebration, but when she turned to look to the other side, Evergreen's arms were folded across her chest. "It was out," Evergreen said.

"Excuse me?" Erza said, rising to Ever's challenge.

"It was a crap serve and it was out," Evergreen firmed her jaw.

"It was not out, it was an excellent serve, you just weren't wearing your glasses," Erza said, warning in her tone.

Evergreen approached the net. "I am wearing contacts so I can see just fine. It. Was. Out."

Erza stormed towards her opponent, "It. Was. In."

The two woman now stood nose to nose, only separated by a flimsy net. Natsu came behind Erza, standing with a frown and his arms crossed, "Are you sure those contacts are working? It was in Ever. That's bullshit."

"It was definitely out, and lying isn't manly Natsu!" Elfman came up behind Evergreen, setting a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"What did you see Jellal?" Erza asked over his shoulder.

"It was in, obviously," Jellal said, crossing his arms.

"You would take her side, you're her fiance," Evergreen said, not taking her eyes off Erza.

"Alright, Makarov, did you see if the ball was in?" Jellal asked the tiny man on the side.

Makarov raised his head like a startled prairie dog, then gave a closed eyed smile and waved his hands in front of himself in defense, "Oh, no, no, no. Can't see very much these days, I wouldn't be a very good judge. You kids figure it out."

"It was in," Levy said, not looking up from her book.

"No way you could see, you haven't stopped reading this whole time," complained Bixlow.

Freed had a look of disapproval, arms folded and nose in the air, "This is ridiculous, let's just ignore the point and do the serve again."

"But then you might win when we already won fair and square!" Erza yelled.

Then Evergreen crossed the line created by the net by shoving Erza hard in the middle of the chest. "You did not!" she said. Erza promptly punched her in the face. Evergreen used one hand to hold her face in shock, the other to grab Erza by the hair and they went down in a ball of scratches, kicks, and hair pulling. The rest of the group watched in shock, for a moment unsure if they could even break it up if they tried. Jellal finally came and attempted to pull Erza off of Evergreen, but the brunette was not willing to give her opponent up.

There was a collective sigh of relief when Laxus ran up and laced his arms into Evergreen's, successfully pulling her back. "What the hell? I could hear you fighting down the beach! Do you want someone to call the cops on you?" The two women ignored him and continued to try to pull towards each other, snarling like attack dogs.

Makarov finally stood and yelled "Enough!" His commanding voice causing everyone to stop and stare at him. "You all are ruining a perfectly good afternoon," he scolded. "You all should be ashamed of yourself, you're adults. I suggest you all split up for the night, maybe some of you go downtown or out to dinner with your loved one. We've all spent just a little too much time together for our own good. This game is over, we are stopping."

Erza crossed her arms and looked away from Evergreen, "Of course we can stop, after all we did win."

Jellal threw her up on his shoulder and headed to the house, "Good time to hit the showers I think!" Erza kicked and squirmed, enraged by the smug look on Evergreen's face and the way the woman mouthed "it was out."

"Put me down, Jellal! You are making it look like I lost!" Erza raged.

"Nobody thinks you lost the game Erza, everyone just thinks you lost your mind," Jellal chuckled, completely ignoring her punches to his back and her attempts at pulling his hair. "This should really not be turning me on right now," he muttered to himself, blowing out a deep breath as he pulled open the door to their room.

He pulled it closed behind them and shut the curtain, making the room dark. Jellal readjusted Erza on his shoulder and headed to the bathroom where he unceremoniously dumped her in the tub and turned the nozzle pressure up to high, blasting her in the face with cold water. "What the hell do you think you're doing!" she sputtered, trying to protect her face from the water with her hands.

"Helping you cool down, do you feel better?" Jellal said.

Erza slumped forward and let the cool water soak her hair. Now that she was no longer seeing red, she was a little bit embarrassed. Punching Evergreen in the face may have been taking it a little too far. "I'm sorry, I may have let my temper get the best of me. I was out of line."

Jellal sighed, a small smile on his face, "Well Evergreen was a little over the top as well. She's always been good at pushing all your buttons."

Erza curled tighter into a ball, "I am ashamed. She just makes me so frustrated!"

Jellal looked at her for a moment then stepped into the tub in front of her. He pulled the curtain and adjusted the temperature, then grabbed her by the hand, pulling her to her feet and into his arms. Erza's eyes widened in surprise and she pushed back slightly with her hands on his chest so that she could look him in the face. "What are you doing?" she asked, although she felt she already had a pretty good idea.

He leaned into her, smiling when their noses touched. "I was thinking I could help you work out that frustration," he said, his hand starting to play with the strings of her bikini.

She smiled and hummed, "Yes, I think that is exactly what I need," leaning in to complete the kiss.

* * *

"Venturing out on our own is going to ruin my whole _sabotage the love_ plans," Cana said, taking a sip of the daiquiri in front of her.

Lisanna bumped her with her shoulder, "Who was the target tonight?"

"I was a thinking Jellal. I would have gotten Erza drunk, but that's dangerous for everybody, including myself. I've never seen Jellal wasted though, he always seems to have his wits about him. Would have been nice to see him let his hair down," Cana grinned.

"I knew you were doing that on purpose!" exclaimed Mira from the other side of the kitchen bar, where she was loading dishes into the dishwasher. "You had better not be considering doing anything to Orga!"

Cana gave her a wink, "We'll see!"

"Why didn't you get anyone on the first night?" Lisanna tilted her head thoughtfully.

"I tried!" Cana exclaimed. "You wouldn't believe how much liquor I got into Gajeel, every time he turned his head I refreshed his drink and he didn't even notice! But in the end all he did was peacefully fall asleep in a chair in the living room, and then he woke up fresh as a daisy! That man is a worthier opponent than I expected. It's too bad he's staying here and not coming to the bar with us, I would have liked a good challenge."

"The bar?" Mira asked.

"Yea, we were going to go down to Mermaid Heel and let the all the couples have snuggle time here. Makarov wanted us to separate, so it made sense."

"Oh my god! I love Mermaid Heel! I want to go!" Mira cried just as Orga entered the room.

He looked confused, "What's Mermaid Heel?"

"It's a bar downtown," Mira explained.

Orga's face dropped, "I thought maybe we could go get dinner alone tonight."

Mira frowned, "But we go out to dinner alone all the time. Don't you want to go out with everyone? It will be my siblings, Cana, Bixlow, Ever, Freed, and Laxus."

Cana noticed that Orga looked like he got a bad taste in his mouth at the mention of Laxus. She wondered how Mira hadn't noticed how her relationship with the blond was affecting her own boyfriend. She always seemed so in tune with other people's romances, it was odd that she could be so clueless about her own. His frown turned to a scowl, "I suppose if that's what you really want . . ."

The pair stared at each other, each hoping the other one would be the one to back down and compromise. Cana wished she had some popcorn, this drama was so fantastic. She turned to look at Lisanna wondering if she was sharing was also enjoying the show. Lisanna put a finger to her lips and then leaned forward on the kitchen bar counter. The women took sips from their daiquiris and watched the couple with large eyes and secret grins, waiting for the staring contest to have a victor.

Finally Mira sighed, "I suppose we could always go to the bar another time."

Orga smiled and walked over pulling Mira into a big bear hug, "Fantastic! There's a seafood place that looked top notch! I'll go call and make reservations." He set her down with a quick kiss and disappeared from the room.

Mira turned to Cana. "I guess I wont be coming with you guys after all," she said with a frown.

"I could still get him drunk you know," Cana offered with a grin.

Mira waved her off, "No, no, don't you dare. I can be a good girlfriend for one night. You kids have fun being young and single. Go tear up the town."

"Thank goodness, the old maid isn't going to bring us down," said Cana rolling her eyes.

"Yes, it's good you aren't coming out with us Mira, I don't think this place has senior discounts," Lisanna teased.

"You all are just jealous because I have a hot date, and you have to spend an evening with Bixlow, Elfman, and Laxus,"

Cana grinned a wolfish grin, "Are you sure we're the ones who are jealous?"

Mira pouted and threw a dish towel at Cana, "You watch your mouth missy, I'm off to go get ready, you girls have fun!" She started to leave the kitchen, then stopped for a second and turned back to them, "I'll have you know Mermaid Heel has excellent senior discounts." She winked, "You learn these things going out with Makarov a time or two."

* * *

Dinner was great, well, maybe not great, but it wasn't terrible. Mira had found herself distracted and bored through most of the meal, she just didn't understand why Orga didn't want to hang out with everyone else. He wasn't a loner, he hung out with his friends all the time. In the beginning, he had seemed to get along great with her group as well, but lately, this trip especially, he kept finding reasons to pull her away from them. She would have to ask him about it. Maybe Cana was too much? Or Bixlow had offended him somehow?

Mira pulled her hair up and checked her reflection in the mirror. He would be waiting for her upstairs, as soon as she was done getting into something more comfortable, they were going to join the game playing with everyone else.

She liked Orga a lot, but she didn't know what she was going to do if he made her pick between her friends and him. That would be like abandoning family for him and she couldn't do that. She blew out a sigh that made her bangs flutter into the air. Maybe she was over thinking this, maybe he was just trying to spend time alone with her. There was nothing wrong with a boyfriend wanting to have alone time with his girlfriend right? She was always forcing him to go back and hang out with her friends at the bar. She would sit down and talk to him about it when they got home, she would hate to cause a conflict while they were here with everyone.

When she came upstairs, Orga was nowhere to be found. Everyone who had stayed behind from the bar was still playing cards against humanity at the large dining table near the kitchen, except for Levy and Gajeel who sat in the living room, Gajeel rubbing Levy's aching feet.

Natsu burst out laughing, "Gray would poop out same sex-ice dancing!" He was laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes.

Gray threw his head back in exasperation, "For like the eighth time man, that wasn't my card!"

Mira tapped Lucy on the shoulder and whispered, "Have you seen Orga?"

Lucy smiled, "Yea, he came up here and said hi, but then went out on the deck."

Mira nodded and then headed out the side door. She found Orga on the upper deck, leaning hunched over the railing, staring out at the ocean. She wondered why he would separate himself like this. Hadn't he said they could spend some time playing games? "Whatcha doing out here?" she asked with a light tone in her voice.

When he turned to look at her, she could tell he was not happy. She dropped her smile and came towards him, unable to resist the urge to comfort him. He seemed to flinch at the touch of her hand on his arm, his brows furrowed and lips tight. "Is something wrong?" Mira was so confused. Had he not had a good time at dinner? She wasn't sure how to read him right now.

"Mira we need to talk," Orga said quietly, and Mira's heart dropped to her stomach. Those were never good words. He turned, breaking her physical contact, and leaned back against the railing and putting his hands in his pockets. Orga still avoided looking her in the eye, instead he seemed very interested in his shoes. "I can't do this anymore Mira."

"What do you mean do this?" Mira laughed uncomfortably. Was Orga breaking up with her?

Orga took a deep breath, as if there was something heavy on his chest. He closed his eyes, "It's just, I really care about you Mira, but the whole time we've been together I could tell that you have been holding back. Like there's a part of you that you don't share with me. I thought that maybe with time, when we became closer and you got more comfortable that it would open up, but it hasn't. I've had a suspicion for a while but this week has solidified it for me, you've already given that part of you to someone else, and I don't feel like there's anything left for me."

"What are you talking about?" Mira's chest felt tight and already it felt like tears were threatening to break lose. Orga was what she needed, he was dependable, he wanted a family, he wanted a future. She had been trying so hard to be what Orga would want, what he would need. Hadn't she done everything right to be the perfect girlfriend? How could this come out of left field?

"Please don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, please don't make this hard Mira," Orga choked out. Mira still didn't understand why he was doing this, especially when he seemed to care about her as much as she cared about him. "Laxus, Mira," Orga said, this time lifting his head to give her a straight look in the eyes. Mira felt like she was going to vomit.

"I see it when you're with him, you seem so light, so free. Did you guys have something?" He closed his eyes and put up his hand, "You know, actually, I don' t need to know that. I know what I see Mira, whatever your history with him, I'm second place here. I just can't be with someone who's settling for me, I'm sorry, I have to be first."

"But I'm not settling for you! I want you!" Mira cried, grabbing hold of his hands.

"You don't! Fuck Mira, I'm not blind. You want him, I can see it Mira! What's even worse is I see the way he looks at you when he thinks no one's looking and it kills me. I can't be in the middle of whatever the fuck you two have going on. I deserve better than this Mira," he pulled his hands away and put them back in his pockets. "I'm going home okay? I've already got all my stuff in the car."

"You're already packed?" she choked out. How did she not notice his stuff missing from her room?

Orga scratched his neck, "Yea, I did it while you were getting ready for dinner. I wanted to try, hoping maybe I was wrong and I could put it all back when we returned, but the whole meal you seemed annoyed that you were alone with me and not out with everyone else." Orga pushed off from the railing and headed towards the stairs, concentrating on his feet as if he was afraid of tripping. "I'm sorry Mira. If you ever figure this out and feel like you can truly leave him behind, give me a call. I really like you Mira, and I wanted to be with you, but not like this. I'm not what you want and it hurts, I can't do it anymore."

Mira's lip trembled, "Orga?" He looked at her one more time, sorrow in his eyes, but he said nothing and disappeared down the stairs. For a bit she was in denial, he was just having a small tantrum, he wouldn't actually leave her here and embarrass her like this in front of all her friends and family. Then she heard a car start up. Mira ran to the front section of the upper deck and watched him turn onto the main road and drive away.

For what seemed like an eternity, Mira stared into the street in disbelief. She was doing so well. She was in a normal healthy relationship, with a great guy. Weren't they happy? Then her sorrow changed to fury. Laxus, he was still ruining everything. He had broken her, she was ruined. She would be alone forever and it was all his fault.

She stormed into the house, casting an irritated glance at everyone playing cards. She envied them all in their happy partnerships. Soon they would all be married with children of their own, and she would still be slaving away at the restaurant, alone and empty. Recognizing the sadness that was clouding her judgment, Mira realized she needed to leave and find a way to calm herself down before she said something crazy. The last thing she wanted was to hurt someone's feelings or, even worse, to be the object of their pity. She dug a bottle of rum out of the cabinet. Thankfully everyone was too much in their own worlds to notice her when she slipped out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

* * *

"That guy had it coming, who did it think he was trying to challenge you!" Laxus smiled at Cana who hung off of his shoulder, using his body and Freed's like a pair of crutches.

"I know right? What a tool! One comment about his manhood and he was sputtering like broken record," Cana slurred out with a huge grin. She then frowned slightly, "I feel bad for the bouncer though, he was a nice guy, and those pants are probably ruined. I don't think I've ever seen puke that color."

"It's the bouncers own fault. You never throw a guy out of a bar without making sure he's facing away from you. That's man sense," said Elman, getting an excited noise of approval over his shoulder from a drunk Evergreen, who was currently getting a piggy back ride home.

Lisanna giggled, "Of course Elfman."

Laxus smiled, this was a good night. Life was finally getting back to normal. He had his friends, he had his family, he was glad he had agreed to go on this vacation with all of them. The bar down the street had been a good time. It was nice to get away from all the happy couples and spend time with his crew. He wished they had done this sooner.

The group all stumbled up the stairs to the large beach house laughing and cheering, not caring who they woke. When they got up to the main living area, they caught Gray and Natsu wrestling in the living room, while their girlfriends ignored them and drank wine on the back deck. Gajeel and Levy must have turned in for the night, and he didn't want to think about what Erza was doing to poor Jellal right now. Mira and Orga were nowhere to be found, but he didn't want to think about that for a whole other reason. Gramps would have gone to bed a long time ago.

"You take it back you freezer burned nutsack!" Natsu yelled, he was sitting on Grays back with his arms laced through his adopted brother's thighs.

"I won't because it's the truth you flaming pile of dog shit," Gray grunted out, digging his elbows into Natsu's back.

Laxus sighed, those guys never changed. His friends had all ignored the wrestling match and were taking seats in the Adirondack chairs out back, joining Juvia and Lucy to look at the ocean. Laxus crossed his arms and looked down at the tangled mess of arms and legs on the floor, "You guys should really just get a room already, this is embarrassing."

Predictably, this caused Gray and Natsu to bounce away from each other. "Don't be an idiot," said Gray, crossing his arms and pouting.

"Yea, gross Laxus. I don't know where Gray has been," Natsu scowled.

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Can you tell the others I'm going up to bed, I'll see ya all in the morning."

"Sure, night man," said Natsu, and Gray gave him a slight nod of the head, both of them heading in the direction of the back deck.

Laxus ascended the stairs to his room on the top floor. He was beat, the alcohol in his system was doing it's best to slow him down. When he got to the top and opened his door, he was surprised to see Mira, sitting on his bed and staring out the window. Was the alcohol melting his brain? What the hell was she doing up here? He stepped in and closed the door behind him. Then he raised a brow and tilted his head, "Mira?"

She turned her face to him and her expression radiated fury. In the moonlight she looked like a terrifying angel of vengeance. He swallowed deeply and licked his lips, afraid to take another step towards her, "It's been a while since I've seen you look at me that way."

She made a noise low in her throat, like a growl, and turned her head back to look out the window. Laxus's mind was screaming at him to run, nothing good could come from being in this room with her in that state. But his heart whispered for him to touch her, get close to her, she obviously needed him. Maybe this was all a dream anyway, a hallucination from his tired, slightly inebriated brain. His body started to move on its own accord, quietly edging towards her. When he came up next to her, she turned suddenly, her face still twisted with anger. He hated that he had never felt so turned on in all his life. Laxus took a deep breath and tried to focus. She probably needed a friend right now, not someone focused on how he could see the outline of her perfect breasts through her thin tank top. Fuck, he wasn't strong enough for this.

"Where's Orga Mira?" he tried.

"He left," she snapped, turning her head back to the window.

"Why did he leave? Did he have work or something?" Laxus asked.

"No, he left me," she said simply.

"What? Why?" Laxus was stupefied and angry. Orga wasn't supposed to leave Mira, he was supposed to make her happy. What the hell had he been going through all this for if Orga was just going to break her heart. He started to reach out to her to comfort her, but quickly pulled his hand back. He shouldn't touch her, he had no right to do that.

She turned to look at him again, "He left me because of you Laxus."

"Me?" Warnings went off in Laxus's brain. He should leave, she was mad, she had obviously been drinking, and she wasn't thinking straight. He knew exactly what that had led to in the past. Yet he couldn't move, he just stared at her transfixed, watching the way her breathing made her chest rise and fall, the way her bright blue eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight.

Mira narrowed those eyes and poked him in the solar plexus, "Yes, you! You Laxus, because you decided you don't want anything real with me but you keep looking at me with that stupid face!" she poked him harder, "and no matter how I try I can't leave you behind! I can't move on and it's bullshit!"

Laxus didn't know what to say. When had they morphed into this, weren't they just having fun? It was just supposed to be two friends keeping each other company every once and a while. Now it was twisted and perverted, the deepness of it threatening to swallow them both.

"Now I'm fucking broken and there's nothing to be done about it!" Mira yelled.

"Stop it Mira, you're not . . .what are you doing?" Laxus exclaimed as Mira began tearing off my shirt.

"Giving you exactly what you wanted since apparently it's all I fucking deserve anymore," Mira said, tossing her shirt on the floor. She shoved him roughly on the bed.

"No, Mira, stop, don't do this," Laxus tried. She was so hot, but she didn't want to do this anymore. He knew she was just acting out of anger. Still, no matter what he told himself he was unable to look away when she stepped out of her shorts.

She straddled him and started unbuttoning his shirt. "What do you mean stop? Isn't this what you want? Isn't this how it's supposed to go?" Shirt released she pushed it down his arms, rubbing her breasts across his chest. A traitorous part of him started to grow even larger, pulling all the blood away from his brain. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will his desire away, trying not to give in to her frantic advances. Suddenly he felt her mouth graze up along his neck and then nibble on his earlobe. She ran her tongue along the folds of his ear and then whispered, "I swear Laxus, if you don't fuck me right now, I will never forgive you."

His eyes flew open and she pulled back, looking him square in the eye, daring him to turn her down. It felt like an eternity, but it was only a few seconds before Laxus groaned in defeat, and his mouth came crashing down on hers.

*********************************************************************************************************************************************

Mira had no clue about what the hell she was doing. When Orga first left, she had gone to her room, taken a shot, and hopped in the shower. Crying in the scalding hot water had done nothing to ease her pain. She had dressed quickly and thrown on a sweater, then tried walking up and down the beach, but her sorrow and anger had only twisted her further into knots of anguish. Finally, moved by some unknown force, she had climbed the stairs all the way to the top, entering Laxus's room without a knock. Her plan had been to scream all her frustrations out on him, then go to bed. Unfortunately, Laxus was nowhere to be found, she remembered too late that he was out with the Thunder Legion, Cana, and her siblings.

For a while she had sat on his bed, trying to get ahold of her thoughts, taking small sips of the bottle of rum and letting them burn their way down her throat. Stripping off the sweater and throwing it in a fit of rage, punching his pillows, and pacing the floor. By the time she heard his footsteps in the hall, her fury was at a boiling point, but when he opened the door, her body started to tingle all over in anticipation. It was as if just the prospect of being in the same room as him aroused her. The fact that she still felt like that really pissed her off. Orga was right, she was a mess and it was all Laxus's fault.

When he stood so close that she could smell him, that was the breaking point. She felt like an animal, her need for him so powerful that she couldn't control it. What was the point in holding back anymore? There was no one waiting for her down in her room.

She hadn't expected so much resistance, but his body couldn't lie. Nor could he hide the heat behind the pained look in his eye. There was a moment after her request that she thought she was going to be denied. Mira didn't know what she would have done, she would have been so embarrassed to have to have to climb off of him and find her clothes. She knew she was at the point of no return. So she had firmed her jaw and stared right back at him.

It was sweet relief when his lips met hers, his bruising kiss revealing his desire was just as strong as her own. She couldn't help herself, she had missed this so badly. Nobody kissed like Laxus, nobody felt like Laxus, nobody made her body react like Laxus. The kisses grew deeper and more urgent. Laxus growled into her mouth and picked her up, moving so that he could place her underneath him on the bed. While sticking his tongue down her throat, he undid his belt and pulled down his jeans, kicking them off to the side of the bed.

Mira struggled to remove her underwear, anxious to be free of anything that was coming between her and the feel of him. Laxus chuckled when they were caught on her ankles. He bent over to help her pull them off, then kissed and bit his way back up her thighs. The feel of his teeth on her soft skin was driving her crazy, she hissed as she struggled to maintain control and dragged her nails up along his arms. He smiled and bent to suck hard on the sensitive skin between her thigh and her groin, while he used the hand he wasn't using to support his body to remove his own briefs. Mira cried out and the urgency to have him inside her became overwhelming. She tugged on his shoulders in an attempt to pull him up towards her, impatient to be done with foreplay. "No, Laxus, I need you now."

Laxus looked up at her, his brow raised as he considered her request. He maintained eye contact as he slowly pulled his body up over her, muscles taut in the moonlight. Laxus kissed her firmly as he guided himself to her opening. When he was fully inside her he sighed, whispering into her ear, "God, I missed this."

The sentiment squeezed her heart, and brought with it a wave of sadness. She missed it too, but she didn't want feelings, she didn't want sadness, she wanted sex, raw animalistic sex. She wanted to forget everything except the feeling of their bodies together. Mira needed him to stop trying to make love to her because it felt like a lie. She grabbed his hair and roughly pulled his head up so she could look him in the eye, "Laxus."

"Yea," he breathed out.

"Just fuck me," she spat. He narrowed his eyes and breathed out deeply, but nodded in assent. He began moving between her legs, the look on his face pained and focused. It felt so good it but it wasn't enough, her mind still drifted to her feelings for him. "Deeper Laxus, deeper," she commanded. Laxus frowned then roughly pulled her legs over his shoulders and began fiercely pumping into her. She lifted her hips to meet him thrust for thrust, trying to get him closer to her core. It felt amazing, but it still wasn't enough. "More Laxus, I need more!"

He growled and she felt a strong loss when he pulled out of her. He grabbed one of her legs and easily flipped her, grabbing her hips and pulling them up. Before she could react, he entered her swiftly from behind, taking her breath away. Now she could no longer think, her brain was so overloaded with intense pleasure that it took all her concentration to remember to breath. He continued to thrust in and out, using her hips to guide her over him, gripping them so tightly it was almost painful. Her entire body tensed and she began to lose control, her muscles spasming, her breaths becoming whimpers and moans. Trying to stifle the sound she bit into the meaty part of her forearm, worried she would alert the entire house of their passion with her cries. The pressure began to build and build, until the feeling of pleasure overrode her nerves, filling every part of her body, making her forget where she was and what was around her. By the time her body exploded in a release of orgasm, she no longer cared who heard her. She threw her head back and practically howled at the moon. Laxus could no longer hold himself back, pulling her hips tightly against him and releasing himself deep inside her. They fell on the bed in a tangled, panting mess of limbs, feeling satisfied and confused in their shared euphoria.

Mira just wanted to cry, she loved him so much and he didn't care. He had just let her walk away. But she was spent and it felt so good to lay next to his warm body. So after cleaning up with the tissues next to the bed, she curled up next to his quiet, sprawling form, and fell asleep.

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Laxus watched Mira sleep, pushing the hair back from her face and smiling when her face slightly scrunched up in protest. This was his Mira, cheeks flushed and skin pale in the moonlight, a small satisfied smile on her face. There were splotches on her chest and her arms from where the stubble on his face had rubbed against her. She was beautiful.

He didn't know when he started loving her, but right now, in this moment, he felt overwhelmed with it. He prayed he hadn't fucked everything up by giving in to her desperate commands, but if he had, at least he got to have one more night with her. Laxus wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, nestling in behind her and closing his eyes, falling asleep to the sound of her breathing.

He knew he should have said something, anything, before she had fallen asleep. Instead he had chosen the cowards way out and decided to just pretend like everything was the way it used to be. Like tomorrow would come and everything would be normal. It was a decision he would regret, because when he woke the next morning, she was gone.


	21. Repairing Broken Ships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laxus searches for Mira, Lucy takes Natsu out for a surprise, and Gray gets more comfortable in his relationship with Juvia

* * *

Laxus forced himself to take a shower and change before heading down the stairs. He was anxious to find Mira, but he wanted to do it calmly. He knew he wouldn't be able to confront her in front of everyone else, so storming through the house screaming her name would be counterproductive. Laxus could kick himself for not saying anything the night before, or even waking her in the middle of the night. He was positive of his feelings now, she had to know how he felt.

He bounded down the staircase to find Makarov sitting at the dining table. He had a hot coffee next to him and a paper in his hand. The old man looked up at Laxus and smiled, "Good Morning my boy! If you'd like some coffee there's a full pot made on the counter."

"Morning," Laxus responded, headed over to get a mug from the cabinet and filling it. He tried his best to appear calm and composed. "Is Mira up yet? I needed to talk to her."

Makarov looked up from his newspaper and regarded his grandson with concerned eyes, "She's up but I'm afraid she's not here."

"What?" Laxus exclaimed, his face paled and his throat went dry. Mira had run away from him.

Makarov looked back at the puzzle section of the paper, "Yes, she left first thing this morning. Lisanna gave her a ride. Apparently Orga left some time last night. I swear I have no clue what's going on with you brats these days."

Laxus furrowed his brow, and took a sip of coffee to sooth his nerves, "Did she say why she was leaving?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to ask Cana, I wasn't there. I hope everything is okay, seems strange being here without her," Makarov picked up a pencil and started filling in an answer on his crossword. "I think Cana's down by the pool, probably already with a mimosa in hand." He chuckled but didn't look up from his puzzle.

Laxus picked up his mug and headed outside. He was happy to see that Cana was on her own. Everyone else must be starting their day late today, which was good, he didn't think he could face Freed before he had all this figured out. Laxus lowered himself into the lounge chair next to her, letting go of a breath he felt like he had been holding since he left his room.

Cana pulled her sunglasses down her nose so that she could look straight at him, "Did you really go back to your room last night?"

Laxus almost flinched in surprise, "What? I don't even get a hello? Why do you care if I went right to my room last night."

Cana returned her glasses to their place and looked back at the ocean, "Well, Mira appeared this morning in our room, early as hell. She told us Orga left last night and something came up suddenly at the restaurant, so she needed to head back. I offered to go with her and she said not to worry about it, she would handle it. Then I told her to wake you, since Lisanna was my ride, and she told me to shut my stupid face."

Laxus choked on his coffee.

"Obviously, she apologized to me and blamed it on not sleeping well last night and being a little hungover. But I can't help but think that reaction was a little bit extreme, don't you agree?" Cana looked at him again, taking a slow sip of her mimosa.

"I can assure you that I went straight to my room. Also, you know better than to hassle Mira first thing in the morning, she's not much of an early riser," Laxus tried.

"I'm aware, all the more reason why it was strange that she would come tell us she needed to get back first thing in the morning, instead of coming to get us last night or even waiting until the damn sun was all the way up. Lisanna barely had a drink at the bar, she was perfectly sober by the time we got home from the bar last night. Something or someone was keeping Mira occupied last night," Cana mused.

"I don't know what you're getting at Cana," Laxus said.

"You're such a moron sometimes it hurts my head!" Cana groaned. "Will you go get your shit and get in your truck and go talk to her! Stop trying to act so unaffected!"

Laxus stood, "How are you going to get home then?"

"I'll squeeze in the back of somebody's car, in case you haven't noticed we're here with a mob," Cana picked up her glass and took another sip. "Just get this resolved, I want happy Mira when I get back to work. I don't need this stress in my life."

Laxus gave a curt nod and headed up the stairs. "Finally," Cana grumbled, not caring if he heard, a small smile forming on her lips.

* * *

Natsu tapped the steering wheel rapidly as he pulled into the parking lot Lucy directed him to. She had asked if they could do something just them today, which sounded great to him, but for some reason she wanted to surprise him. He didn't really like surprises, he was the type to want to be able to see what was coming, but she was so excited that he decided to play along.

"So now that we're here, are you going to tell me what we're doing?" he asked as he pulled into a spot. Natsu looked all around them, trying to find something familiar.

Lucy turned to him and grinned so big it made him grin back, "I rented us a boat!" Natsu's grin fell but Lucy was too caught up in her own excitement to notice. "There's a cute little island just off the coast so you can drive a dinghy out and have a picnic, isn't that great!"

"Yea . . ." Natsu grimaced, this was not great, this was terrible. The last time he was on a boat it had felt like his body was trying to turn itself inside-out. "Have you been on a lot of boats?"

"Yes, I used to go all the time! It was so much fun! I got us a boat with an outboard motor, so we won't have to deal with anything complicated like a sail, super easy. You're going to love it! Also, I packed us a really nice lunch and a bottle of wine, doesn't it sound like fun?" She practically bounced out of her seat onto the pavement. She turned to look at him, finally noticing his grimace. "Is everything okay Natsu?"

Natsu tried to get his face to look more like a smile. Everything would be okay, maybe if he drove he could handle it. He was fine when he drove a car. Lucy was starting to look concerned and her face was dipping into a frown. Natsu hated to ruin her plans, this wouldn't be horrible, maybe. "Yea, I'm great. This sounds like fun!"

* * *

Gray stirred his coffee while he sat at the bar in the kitchen, checking through the new stuff on his phone. The house was finally peaceful and Natsu free, thanks to Lucy's fantastic idea of getting a boat. There was a tiny part of him that felt guilty for telling her Natsu would love it, but the rest of him was still chuckling into his coffee. He hoped she took pictures.

Juvia came up behind him and ran her hands over his shoulders and onto his chest, folding him into a soft hug. "What is Gray-sama laughing about?" she asked.

"The idea of Natsu getting on that boat today." Gray reached across and patted her arm, leaning slightly into her hold. She smelled like clean soap and sunscreen, already dressed to spend the day at the beach. He closed his eyes, soaking in the feel and the scent of the moment, wondering why he had been holding back from these moments for so long. Sharing a bed with her the last few nights had given him the most restful sleep he had in years. He was finding that each time he let himself enjoy a rub on the back, holding her hand, the feel of her arms around him, or her sweet kisses, it was like a balm on the burns caused by previous mistreatment. She was slowly wedging her way through his walls and it was setting him free.

"You wanna do something today? Go to the boardwalk, putt putt, get some lunch, ya know, something like that?" he asked, looking up at her and enjoying the way her face lit up from such a simple request.

"Yes! That sounds wonderful Gray-sama!" she exclaimed. Unable to help himself he gave her a sweet kiss, smiling at the surprised look on her face. Her warmth was defrosting him, and he had to admit he liked it.

* * *

Laxus looked at his phone while he stood at the pump filling up his car and frowned, Mira hadn't responded to any of his texts. He tried sending one to Lisanna, asking if Mira was okay and how he could reach her. His phone buzzed with a simple text back, "she doesn't want to talk to you today :( sorry."

Laxus scowled and just barely resisted the temptation to throw his phone. He returned the nozzle to the pump and pulled himself into the driver's seat, slamming the door. She might not want to talk to him, but he wasn't going to give Mira a choice. He had to speak to her today while the feelings were fresh and raw. He let her go once, if he could help it he wasn't going to ever let her go again.

* * *

Natsu was wrong, he was so, so wrong, and now he was going to die. Driving the boat had not helped in the slightest. Really how could you call moving a stick attached to the motor driving? He didn't feel in control at all! When Lucy took over it was a much smoother ride, but his stomach still twisted and turned with the rocking of the water. Finally, unable to hide his sickness any longer, he half threw himself over the side of the boat, letting his arms drag in the cool water.

"Natsu! What are you doing?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Sorry Luce . . .god I'm dying, . ." he whined.

"Why didn't you tell me you get seasick you idiot!" Lucy scowled.

"You looked so happy about the boat, god why did it have to be a boat!" he moaned, rolling over on his back, but still keeping his hands in the water, like he was doing some complicated yoga move.

"We're almost to the island, so hang on. Damnit Natsu why didn't you tell me sooner, now the shore is so far away!" Lucy exclaimed.

Natsu fell forward, his eyes gleaming with hope, "Did you say near land?"

Lucy lifted a hand to point out the small island just a few minutes away. "Yea, it's right there, haven't you been paying attention?"

"Kinda too busy dying here Luce," Natsu grumbled. He stood and stumbled towards her. "Can we make this go any faster, I've got to get out of here!"

When he reached her, he stumbled, face landing smack into her chest, "Natsu what the hell!" Lucy cried, struggling to free herself from his deadweight body. "Natsu, get off of me! I can't drive like this!"

"Moofy my maan," he mumbled into her chest, melting further into a sick puddle.

Lucy breathed in deeply through her nose than using both hands shoved him off of her. He started to fall in the direction of the floor of the boat, but they hit a wave and the motion caused him to fall back the other way landing on the tiller to the outboard motor, knocking them off course. Lucy hurried to reach over him and pull it back, struggling to kick away his limp, pathetic form. By the time she looked back in the direction they were being propelled towards it was too late, the boat went over a large rock, making a terrible thump and scrape. Lucy and Natsu were both thrown forward when the motor caught on the back of the rock effectively stopping the vessel but not them.

"You aren't a very good driver Lucy," Natsu mumbled into her chest that now rested on top of his face.

Lucy jumped off of him, rubbing the arm that had slammed on the bench of the boat. She was thankful Natsu had broken the rest of her fall, but that was the only good thought she was having about him at the moment. "Damnit Natsu, look what you did to the boat!"

Natsu pulled himself up and took in their surroundings. They were very close to shore, the water was shallow enough that you could see the sea floor. "Oh thank god!" He pulled himself out of the boat and into the water, dunking his head underneath. When he came back up for air he found a frowning Lucy staring down at him, standing in the boat with her arms crossed. He gave her his best apologetic grin, and held out a hand, "Shall we?"

Lucy made a "humpf," then picked up her bag and leapt in next to him, wading angrily towards the shore.

Natsu looked back at the boat and grimaced at the noticeable scrape and small hole on the back right side. Gramps was going to be pissed about this. He looked back at Lucy and realized she already was pissed about this. God, this was a terrible idea.

* * *

Laxus walked into the empty restaurant and headed towards the back, hoping that maybe Mira's excuse to Cana was true. He had already driven past Lisanna's apartment building, but her car was nowhere to be found and no one opened the door when he knocked. There was no one at Mira's apartment either. Lisanna was, unfortunately, no longer answering his texts, obviously protecting her sister from seeing him.

Mira wasn't in her office, or in the front dining room. When he went in the kitchen, Mest stood there repeatedly putting one lemon in his mouth, biting down, making a sour face, pulling it back out, then repeating with the lemon in the other hand. He knew Mest made really good food, but sometimes he really weirded Laxus out.

After watching Mest in disgust for a few seconds, Laxus decided to break the man's trance. "Remind me not to eat anything here that has lemon in it."

Mest looked at him as if surprised to see another human being, and pulled the lemon from his mouth. "Well obviously I'm not going to use these lemons! I'm just trying to decide which supplier to use going forward. I think the first on has a better taste, but the second one has a more flavorful peel. I just can't decide which is better." Then as if this was a perfectly good reason, he went to put the lemon in his right had back in his mouth.

"Mest, have you seen Mira?" Laxus asked quickly, hoping to not lose him to Mest-land again.

Mest lowered the lemon and regarded Laxus thoughtfully, "No, don't think so. She wasn't supposed to come back in until tomorrow night though. Did something happen?"

"No, I was just wondering, thanks," Laxus turned to leave.

He shook his head when he heard Mest begin to talk to himself, "When life hands you lemons, how do you pick which is best? Damnit I need to know!"

* * *

This was it, the final shot. If he missed it, Juvia definitely would win, he had to get it in two shots or less. He lined up his putter and was ready to shoot when Juvia murmured in his ear, "Is Gray-sama having trouble planning the putt?

Gray looked up at her in disbelief, she barely contained her smile behind her hand, "Really Juvia?"

"Juvia is only concerned, Gray-sama looked very nervous," Juvia sniffed in laughter and covering her mouth again.

"Teasing me when I'm trying to make my damn putt," Gray muttered getting himself back in position. If he hit it off the corner of the octopus, he might have a chance of landing it close enough to the hole to sink it easily.

"Gray-sama is going to use the octopus isn't he," Juvia said, right next to his ear.

Gray stood up straight, "Juvia!"

Juvia held her hands up in defense, "Sorry, sorry Gray-sama, it's just fascinating to watch Gray-sama work." She giggled openly this time.

Gray rolled his eyes and got in position to put again, this time not giving her a chance get in his ear. He hit the ball quickly, it bounced off the octopus, and rested right next to the final hole. He pulled a fist in and closed his eyes in quiet celebration, perfect shot.

Juvia clapped behind him, "Wonderful shot Gray-sama! Juvia could learn a thing or two from you."

"Sometimes I can't tell if you are being sarcastic or not," Gray said, stepping out of the way so she could get ready for her shot.

Juvia set her turquoise ball down and looked up at him with a wink, "Juvia needs to have some secrets."

Gray couldn't help but chuckle. She was so cute in these rare moments when she was feeling cocky. "You realize in order to beat me for sure you would need a hole in one, right?"

"Juvia is aware Gray-sama," Juvia started to get set to putt, swaying her hips side to side. Gray suddenly had the urge to repay her for all her teasing. Just as she began to putt he pinched her rear-end, causing her to hit the ball wildly and exclaim, "Gray-sama!" They both watched as it forcibly banged off the octopus and rammed straight into Gray's ball, knocking both balls into the non-returning last hole.

Gray stared at it, completely flummoxed, "I can't believe you got a hole in one!"

Juvia bounced around exuberantly, "Juvia did it! Gray-sama thought he was the king of distraction, but his sexy ways only gave Juvia strength!" She grabbed him by the shoulders to turn him towards her, "Wasn't that wonderful Gray-sama!"

Gray snapped out of his stupor and looked at her happy glowing face. Instead of answering he pulled her to him, giving her a fiercely, passionate kiss. When he released her, she looked dazed and stumbled a bit, slowly putting her hand to her lips in surprise, "Gray-sama?"

Gray grinned and gave her a wink, "I knew I should have done that instead."

* * *

Lucy lay on the warm sand and stared up at the blue sky. This day had gone so horribly wrong. Now they would probably spend the rest of the day on this stupid island. It had been over an hour and not a single person had come by and unfortunately her cell phone had no service, and, of course, Natsu had accidentally left his back at his truck.

Natsu lay down on the sand next to her, "What are we looking at Luce?" he asked, trying to follow her train of sight.

"My sanity, floating away," she pointed to a white puffy cloud, "see there it goes."

Natsu laughed and propped up on his arm, "Come on Luce, someone is bound to come by eventually. The rental place knew you were heading out this way. Besides it's not so bad, it's like an adventure!"

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him, "Your optimistic attitude is not welcome here Dragneel."

"Just picture it Luce! We could build a tree house and live off the land! Eating coconuts and fish . . ."

"Pretty sure there isn't a single coconut tree on this island Natsu," Lucy interrupted.

"Eating seaweed and fish," Natsu corrected.

Lucy turned her head to look at him and smiled, "You're a nutcase."

He gave her a toothy smile, "I'm aware." He sat up, and then pulled himself to his feet, turning to put out a hand to help her up as well. "Come on weirdo, you're the one who wanted a picnic in the middle of the ocean, let's go enjoy it. Then I'll build a fire to alert people that we're here. Might as well have a little fun and I'm starving!"

"You're always starving!" she said, grabbing his hand to pull herself up. "I hope someone comes soon or I might have to worry about you trying to eat me!"

Natsu gave her a wolfish grin and pulled her close. "Who says I don't want to eat you now?" he whispered, nipping at her ear lobe. Lucy's eyes widened and a shiver went through her as her mind drifted to the image of his lewd suggestion. Natsu pulled away and his grin turned mischievous, "With an ass like yours I could eat for days!" He took off in a sprint, heading for the food they had left up the beach.

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed angrily. She chased after her cackling boyfriend, tackling him in the sand when he slowed near their bags. They rolled over and over but Natsu was the victor pinning her beneath him on the beach. Lucy pouted, "I'm not fat."

"Of course not Lucy," Natsu said as if it was obvious. "You're perfect." He closed the distance, giving her a sweet kiss. He pulled his head away and Lucy frowned, not ready for his signs of affection to stop. "Seriously Lucy, I'm starving. Can we eat now?"

Lucy sighed in exasperation, "You are hopeless." Natsu just gave her a wink.

* * *

Laxus was running out of places to check. He found himself wishing he had paid more attention when Lisanna spoke about what she did downtown for fun. The damn place was so big anyway, he would have had a hard time without knowing exact locations. After driving around downtown and through Magnolia, he gave up. He was just going to have to go to her place and wait.

* * *

Coming home from their dinner, Gray and Juvia went up the stairs of the beach house, finding Jellal and Erza curled up on the couch watching a movie. "Where is everybody?" Gray asked.

"Thunder Legion went to the bar again with Elfman and Cana, Gajeel and Levy are still out to dinner, Strauss sisters and Laxus all went home," Erza regarded them thoughtfully. "Not sure where Natsu and Lucy are, I thought they were with you."

Gray's shoulders dropped, that did not sound like good news. "Natsu and Lucy aren't back yet?"

Erza sat up, noticing Gray's concern, "Well obviously, since I don't know where they are."

Gray ran a hand down his face, "Lucy took Natsu on a boat."

Erza stood quickly, "A boat? Why in the world would she take him on a boat?"

"I may or may not have insinuated that it would be something he would like," Gray squeaked out, feeling a little uneasy around her agitation.

"You told Lucy Natsu would like going on a boat! What is wrong with you?" Erza exclaimed.

Gray grimaced, "He could have told her he didn't like it."

"As if Natsu would ever admit his weakness!" Erza turned to Jellal, "Come on, we're going to have to go get the coast guard."

"Surely you don't have to go that far," Gray said in disbelief.

"Natsu and Lucy have been gone the entire day. Do you really think Natsu would be able to handle that long in a boat? Something happened or else they would already be back," Erza said, hands on her hips. Jellal stood behind her, stretching his arms over his head.

Gray sighed, "Damnit, you're right."

"We will go handle this, you stay here in case they call," Erza said grabbing her purse and sliding her feet into her flip flops. She stormed in the direction of the stairs to the front door, "Jellal, do you have the keys?"

Jellal held them up in his hand, whistling while he put on his own shoes and moseyed over to the stairwell. He patted Gray on the shoulder on his way out. "I'm sure they're fine. Probably just making out the beach somewhere, but you know Erza, she has to be sure. Especially if she can also ruin a romantic moment."

Erza called from the bottom of the stairs, "Jellal hurry!"

"We'll give ya a call when we find them," Jellal added.

"Thanks man," Gray said.

Jellal gave him a lazy smile and nod, then headed off to follow his determined fiance.

* * *

Mira sighed and leaned up against the wall as she waited for the elevator to arrive at her floor. She couldn't wait to get in her home, throw on some sad music, and drink all of the cheap wine she had picked up along the way back. She was exhausted from Lisanna's efforts at cheering her up. They had gone to the movies, had their nails done, gone out to both lunch and dinner, and went shopping downtown. Going out to the bar with Lisanna's friends from the hospital was going to just be too much. Mira need some time alone.

She couldn't stop thinking about the night before, or the way she had woken, cradled in Laxus's arms. What the hell was she thinking? Did she want to go back to the way things were with him? Sneaking around at night but playing platonic in the daytime. How could she do this to herself again. Not for the first time that day, she was thankful that she was still on the pill. Obviously she had little to no self-control these days.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Mira pulled herself up and walked out, trying to juggle her grocery bags while searching for her keys in her purse. She rounded the corner and was almost on top of him when she finally noticed Laxus, sitting on the floor outside her door. Mira froze, she wasn't ready for him. How was she going to explain her behavior last night? She still wasn't sure why she did it herself. From his posture she was pretty sure he was asleep, she couldn't help but find that adorable. Maybe if she walked very quietly, she could sneak past him and he would be none the wiser.

She made it all the way to her door and remembered that she still hadn't found her keys. Silently cursing, she renewed her search, digging around in the coral leather hobo bag she was toting around for the day. If only she had gone with something smaller. Finally, she was victorious and put her key in the lock. "Mira?" Damnit, not quick enough.

She looked down at Laxus, who was staring up at her, his head leaning back against the wall. "Oh, hey Laxus, I didn't see you there!" she tried in a cheerful voice.

He narrowed his eyes, "You sure about that?"

Mira huffed and scowled, returning to unlocking her door. Why was he bothering her? Couldn't he just leave her alone? She went straight through the door without another word and headed to the kitchen. When she set down her bags and leaned on the counter, she suddenly felt very tired. She could hear him shut the door behind him and walk in her direction. Each footstep making her heart beat faster. The counter behind her creaked as he leaned against it. She could feel his eyes on her, but she didn't want to look at him, she kept her focus on the bags in front of her.

"Why did you leave?" he asked softly.

Mira swallowed deeply, "I just had a few things I wanted to get done before I had to go back to work. You didn't have to follow me Laxus. You should have stayed and had fun without me." She pulled her few items free of their bags. One of these bottles of wine needed to be opened and soon.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me Mira! You can't honestly believe that after last night I could just go about my day as if nothing happened!" he said in an aggravated tone. Obviously, he would be upset that she left, Mira had expected that when she slipped out of his secure hold that morning. She had just been hoping she could hide for a day or two and get her thoughts together. Mira had never expected him to go so far as to follow her and wait for her like this.

"That's what you used to do when we had nights like that." She started looking in the drawer for the bottle opener, why couldn't she find it? What was with her and losing things today!

"Last night was nothing like before," he said sharply.

"Oh? I don't see how," she said snappily, finally finding her corkscrew. Now she struggled to open the bottle of Pinot Grigio. What was wrong with her hands? Why hadn't she just bought a screw top?

"Don't act stupid Mira, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Last night was . . . Fuck Mira, you didn't smile once last night," she could almost hear his angry furrowed brow.

"I'm sorry maybe next time I'll put on my happy face. Is that why you're here? You want a better performance?" She said dryly, relieved when the cork gave way with a satisfying pop.

"Fuck Mira! Stop it!" He yelled, slamming a fist down on the counter and making Mira jump. "Last night was not fair of you! You are not some fucking object to me, this is not some stupid game!" He breathed out deeply as if trying to gain composure. "Shit, I'm sorry Mira! I'm sorry for everything I put you through. I'm sorry I didn't understand just how important you were to me. I'm sorry I couldn't be what you needed when you needed me. Mostly, I'm sorry I'm so fucked up that I'll never be able to be what you deserve!"

Mira froze, unable to say a word. Laxus breathed in sharply, "I just want you to be happy, but I'm selfish so I want that happiness to come from me. I don't want to see you with anyone else! Fuck Mira, I love you so much. These last few months have been killing me!"

Mira turned in complete disbelief. There was no way this was Laxus. Laxus didn't apologize, or admit he was wrong, or say romantic things. Laxus had never said I love you. Yet, there he was, back leaned up against her counter, cradling his face in his hands. Mira tilted her head and wrinkled her brow. "Are you crying?"

Laxus didn't remove his hands. "No, it's just raining in here."

Mira chuckled, taking a few steps forward, "We're inside Laxus."

"I've just got something in my eye," he tried.

Mira closed the rest of the distance to him and pulled down his hands. "Why didn't you start with that one?"

He looked down at her, his eyes red and tired, breathing out in a combination between a laugh and a sigh. "I don't know Mira, I don't exactly do this all that often." He lifted a hand to caress her cheek, sighing when she smiled, "I know I'm probably too late, but I don't want to do this shit anymore Mira. I just want to be with you, whatever that means. You want me to take you to stupid movies or restaurants we can do that, if we gotta get married we can do that, you want like fifty babies we can do that. I'll probably be terrible at all of it but I promise I'll try."

Mira smiled and went up on her tippy toes to kiss him. Then she took him by surprise by playfully hitting him on the chest, "You are such an idiot sometimes! I just want to be able to kiss you when I see you. I just don't want to pretend I don't love you. We can do that other stuff when you are ready."

Laxus pulled her into a hug resting his head on top of hers. Mira closed her eyes and smiled. "Laxus?"

"Huh?"

"If you want me to say yes, you had better think of a better way to propose. That half-assed one was terrible," she said into his chest.

Laxus laughed and pushed away so he could look her in the eye. He gave her a lazy smile, "Whatever you want Mira." He bent his head down and Mira raised again on her toes, sealing their words with a tender kiss.

* * *

Lucy lay on their blanket, her head resting on Natsu's shoulder while they stared up at the stars. There was a slight chill from the night ocean breeze but Natsu's fire was doing a good job of keeping them warm.

"You know, we never would have seen this if we hadn't crashed the boat," Lucy said. "The stars are really beautiful tonight."

"Oh yea? So I'm forgiven?" Natsu asked, turning his head to give her a big grin.

"Hmm, I'm not sure, I'm also still pretty mad at you for the comment about my ass," Lucy frowned.

"What was wrong with it? I love your butt," Natsu pulled himself up so he loomed over her, his eyes sparkling in the firelight. "It's so cute, I want to bite it!"

"Natsu!" Lucy giggled, trying to squirm away when he started to snake his free arm under her, grabbing and squeezing her right butt cheek.

"Let me at it!" Natsu laughed. He pulled his arm out from under her head and bent down, opening his mouth wide. He ignored Lucy's giggles and squeals of protest, batting away her hands when she tried to stop him. "Don't be selfish Lucy, I'm hungry. You didn't pack enough food!"

"Well I didn't expect to have to pack for lunch and dinner!" she scolded. She breathed in sharply in surprise when she felt his teeth graze her thigh. "Natsu!" Lucy looked down and Natsu's expression was no longer playful, but full of fire.

"Have I told you how much I love these swimsuits of yours?" He asked, playing with one of the strings on her bikini bottom. Lucy swallowed deeply and bit her lip, not able to remove her eyes from his heated gaze. He chuckled and slowly kissing his way up her body, every so often nipping at her pale skin. His hand trailed up her side and behind her neck, finding the strings that attached the top. "They give such wonderful easy access to all my favorite parts," he purred.

************************************************************************************************************************

He kissed her firmly and pulled at the bow that had been tied behind her neck, releasing the strings. His tongue found it's way into her mouth and his hand pushed aside the triangle of fabric, releasing her breast to the night breeze. Her back arched, pulled by her longing to be touched, her breath catching when he finally began to cup and kneed the soft flesh. He pulled away, a cocky grin forming on his face when he watched her react to him pinching her nipple firmly between his thumb and pointer, rubbing the fingers slowly back and forth.

"How can you be so hot," he whispered, falling to put his lips to the nape of her neck and moving his hand from her breast, down her belly, to play the top of her swimsuit bottoms. Lucy closed her eyes, running her fingers up and down the muscles of his back, concentrating on the feel of his hand and his lips. Her back arched into him again when his mouth left her neck and found her nipple, sucking and nibbling on the now taut pink skin. His hand dipped into her bottoms, finger tracing her slit. He hummed in appreciation for the way her body was already starting to react to him. He lifted his head away from her breast to look her in the eyes when he experimentally dipped a finger into her. She felt the hardness in his shorts seem to pulse against her when he felt how wet she already was. He paused for a moment, his face in agony, "Fuck, you don't know what you do to me."

He slowly pulled his finger out tracing up to her clit. He opened his eyes and began to bend down to kiss her again when he caught something out of the corner of his eyes. Awakened from his aroused trance, he looked up quickly at the horizon line, his eyes widening, then pulled his hands away from her as if burned.

**********************************************************************************************************************************

"Shit Lucy, put yourself back together. We're going to have to put this on hold." He gave her a quick kiss and then hopped to his feet, turning to try and adjust himself.

"What the hell Natsu!" Lucy quickly grabbed her swimsuit, trying to tie it back together quickly as she sat up to see what had caused Natsu's distress.

A boat was pulling up to shore with Erza regally standing at the front, her hair blowing in the wind and her face determined. When the boat came to a stop she leapt off of it, running in their direction, completely unaware of what she had just disrupted. "Are you all okay? Are either of you hurt? Lucy what happened to your swimsuit?" Erza exclaimed in concern.

Behind her, Jellal grinned, "Just as I thought, making out on the beach."


	22. Onward to Taffeta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erza is ready to say yes to the dress by conquering it with an army of bridesmaids of course

* * *

"Ladies, there's a reason I invited you all to meet me here today. . ." Erza began.

"You wanted to eat cake!" Cana interrupted.

Erza frowned, "Well I did but. . ."

Cana didn't let her finish, "You're thinking of starting a softball team."

Erza's eyes lit up, "Actually, that wouldn't be a bad idea."

"But Miss Lucy, I don't like softball," Wendy whispered to her former boss.

Lucy smiled and whispered back, "Don't worry Wendy, I'm pretty sure this is because of stuff for the wedding." Erza had invited all of the women to Lucy's bakery, insisting it was top secret. The girls were taking up the two back tables, enjoying cake and coffee that Erza had graciously purchased for all of them. Lucy was thankful she had Yukino to cover the back, because if Cana kept this up they would be here all day.

"Oh I know! You need a kidney and are looking for a match!" Cana said in triumph.

"I really think it was the cake one," Mira said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Erza rubbed her temples, "Ladies, please let me finish!"

"Yes ma'am!" Cana replied, giving Erza a cockeyed salute.

Erza sighed, "The reason I asked you here today is I would like to ask all of you to be my bridesmaids." She clasped her hands and gave them all a big smile, pleased when Mira, Lisanna, and Juvia all clapped their hands in joy.

"Really? Even me?" Lucy asked in surprise. She hadn't expected to be included since it hadn't even been a year since she had met Erza.

Erza just smiled and nodded, "Of course Lucy, you are practically family already. If Natsu has his way I'm sure we will officially be sisters soon." Her face turned serious, "but not until after my wedding is done."

Lucy felt a small shiver and she laughed nervously, "Of course no worries, it's not like we're even engaged or anything. I doubt it's even entered Natsu's head."

"I don't know about that Lucy," Lisanna smiled slyly.

"Yea, he's not very good at taking his time in anything," laughed Cana. Then she said snidely, "I bet he's terrible in bed," grinning when Lucy flushed bright red, "or maybe not. . ." Cana winked.

"Ladies! Let's get back on task," Erza clapped. "Now, Cana will be my maid-of-honor."

"Yes!" Cana cheered in celebration. "We'll have the best bachelorette party in history bitches!"

"What! What about me?" Mira exclaimed in protest.

"She's the tallest, this way I can arrange you all in height order," Erza explained.

"What about if I get married, could I be matron-of-honor then?" Mira asked.

Erza shook her head, "Sorry Mira, it will have to be Bisca, she's taller. She couldn't make it today because she had an appointment for Asuka."

"Sister! You can't make Laxus marry you just so you can be matron-of-honor anyway," Lisanna exclaimed.

"Juvia thinks that's romantic," Juvia swooned.

Meredy raised a hand, "Do I have to be a bridesmaid Erza? I think there's a little too much crazy in this group for me."

"Of course you do," Erza frowned "without you I don't have a pink haired bridesmaid."

Meredy raised a brow, "I don't think that's a real reason. . ."

"Anyway, the reason I wanted to meet with you all today is to prepare for our first task, getting a dress," Erza smacked a fist into her palm.

Mira clapped, "Oooh, are we going to go to one of those places that serves champagne?"

"No, we are going to the running of the bride's next weekend," Erza went into her bag and began pulling out packets of paper.

Levy looked up from her book in the corner with a raised brow, "Isn't that the sale where woman attack each other for super on sale dresses?"

Erza smiled and gave a curt nod, "Yes."

Levy went back to her book, "Yea, I'm not doing that. I'm too pregnant."

"I wish I was too pregnant," grumbled Meredy as she took a paper packet from Erza.

"Yea, can't you just get a cheap dress online like a normal person?" Cana said, taking her packet.

"No, I deserve a beautiful designer dress, this is the only way I can afford it," Erza said, handing the last packet to Wendy.

"I think it sounds fun! I can't wait to take out some bridezillas!" Mira cheered.

"In this packet you will find all the things that I am looking for as far as type of fabric, sleeve, skirt, etc. Be sure to study it so that you know all of it by heart. We will meet in front of the address listed on the first page at six am sharp," Erza said.

Cana groaned and fell forward on the table, Mira crinkled her nose, "I take that back, I'm not excited anymore."

"We have to get there early or we won't get a good spot by the door, speed is key here ladies!"Erza said, clapping her hands to bring back their attention. "I'm counting on you all to help me here. After we are victorious, I will treat you all to pizza!"

Juvia was looking through the packet when she asked, "What if say Juvia finds a dress Juvia wants?"

"That is fine, as long as you don't let it deter you from the search for my perfect dress," Erza crossed her arms.

"Is there something you need to let the rest of us know?" Mira asked Juvia, wiggling her eyebrows.

Juvia flushed and covered her face, "Oh no Mira! Juvia would just hate to miss out on a deal, especially if it was the perfect dress. Gray-sama is nowhere near proposing!"

Mira pouted, "Aww, a double wedding would have been so cute!"

Erza scowled and pointed at Mira, "There will be no double weddings!" She dipped into her bag one more time, "And one more thing ladies," she pulled out a large ball of red fabric. She tossed part of it to each of her bridesmaids. "We will wear this for the dress search."

Cana held up the shirt, it was a scarlet tank top that read, "Team Scarlet." She raised an eyebrow, "Really Erza?"

Erza crossed her arms, "This way I will be able to find all of you in the sea of white."

Mira smiled while looking at hers, "I think they're cute!"

Meredy slumped in her seat while she looked at hers, "Seriously Erza, you are going to owe me after this."

* * *

That following Friday, Natsu looked at the rod iron blocking his way and swallowed deeply, "You didn't tell me your house had a gate!"

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Well it's not as if we spend hours discussing the layout of my family home. Push the button for me." Natsu pushed the button and secretly smelled her hair when she pulled herself across him to get her face closer to the speaker.

"May I help you?" came a voice over the system.

"Hey Berro, it's Lucy. Can you let Natsu and me in?" Lucy called out.

"Oh! Miss Lucy, of course! Your father is expecting you," continued the voice. With a click the gate slowly began to swing open into the property.

Natsu tried to act normal as they made their way up the drive. This place even made Jenny's place look like a hovel, it blew his mind that Lucy grew up here. "So how many miles to the house?" he joked.

Lucy snorted and then quipped sarcastically, "Don't worry Natsu, it's just another hour to the gate."

Natsu tried to hide that he was feeling completely out-of-place here. It didn't look like a house, it looked like a palace. "So where do I park, is there a special garage or something?"

Lucy shook her head, seeming completely oblivious to his discomfort. "Just pull in front and park there. We're the only ones coming tonight so it's not like we'll be blocking anyone."

Natsu parked his truck in front of the house. When he climbed out he had to chuckle in amusement at how absurd his dirty truck looked out front of the mansion. He might as well have parked a UFO out front. He shook the feeling off and went to help Lucy out of the car, needing her touch to give himself a little bit more confidence. He had to admit he was feeling slightly intimidated, he did not care for it. It didn't help that he was wearing the polo shirt Lucy picked out for himself, it wasn't uncomfortable but it was weird. He didn't know how he felt about the collar. He wished he had his scarf, then he could hide in it, but it was definitely too warm to pull that off.

They were greeted by a small elderly woman who gushed over Lucy while taking their coats, "Oh Miss Lucy, you are more beautiful every time I see you. You should come more, we all miss you you know!"

Lucy hugged the woman with a smile, "You know I would if I could, I'm just so busy at the bakery these days."

Spetto took Lucy by the arm and Natsu was stuck following after. The old woman looked at the blond out of the corner of her eye and frowned, "You don't look like you've been working in a bakery Miss Lucy. What do you sell there, health bars?" She reached over and patted Lucy on the cheek, "You're practically skin and bones Miss Lucy! You need to eat more, you're wasting away!"

"I am not!" Lucy said, waving Spetto off. Natsu smiled, deciding he really liked this tiny old lady.

They were led into the dining room where Natsu noticed only three place settings, "Are you not eating with us Spetto?"

Spetto laughed loudly and patted Natsu's cheeks, "Oh look at this one, handsome and funny! Oh Miss Lucy, I like him! Your father will be right down, I will tell Aed you all are here." Then she wandered off into the hall, chuckling to herself the whole way.

Natsu sat at his place and grinned up at Lucy, "She said I was handsome."

Lucy smiled and sat at her place across from him, "Wouldn't put too much stock in that, Spetto doesn't have very good eyesight."

Natsu looked down at the table. Oh god, there was actually three forks. Why were there three forks? One was for salad right? Another for dinner? What was the last one for, dessert? Appetizers? Combing his hair like the little mermaid? Stabbing himself in the eye? He looked up at Lucy, she was giving him a weird look. He made a large grin and picked up the tiny fork, "Is this for the second miniature course?"

Lucy sighed and shook her head with a smile, "No Natsu, that's a cake fork."

His eyes and smile widened, "There's going to be cake!"

Lucy grabbed his hand across the table, "Thank you . . . for doing this."

Damnit, why did she had to go and say something like that. Now this felt really serious, they were just having dinner with her dad and she made it sound like he was giving her an arm and a leg. He leaned back and scratched the back of his neck, "You don't have to thank me, we can spend time with your family, you certainly spend enough time with mine."

She squeezed the hand she was still holding and smiled, "I know," then she took it back.

Natsu and Lucy stood when Jude entered the room, Natsu taking his hand and Lucy giving him a warm hug. They sat down to dinner and Natsu held in a sigh. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Cana pouted and stared at the door. It was still early, so the restaurant was just starting to fill up with patrons. Soon the tables would be full and the bar's empty seats would start attracting customers who were unwilling to wait. The bar was all prepped, so for now she had nothing to do and it was boring.

"How come your pops hasn't been around in a while?" asked Bacchus from behind her.

Cana stood up straight and regarded him with surprise. She must have been really zoning if she missed his approach. "He's gone for work, left while I was at the beach. He probably won't be back for a few months."

Suddenly feeling the urge to do something, she turned and made herself a seltzer and lime, just barely keeping herself from adding a shot of vodka. Mira preferred Cana to be sober for the dinner crowd.

"He just left out of the blue like that? What kinda work does he do?" Bacchus asked.

Cana leaned over, taking a sip from her drink, "It's typical. He does military contracting type stuff, so his jobs are usually out of the country and they pop up last minute. He was nice enough to leave me a note."

"Hmmph, tough work. That sucks, it's going to make it really quiet here for a while," Bacchus said, leaning up against the back of the bar and crossing his arms.

"It will be a relief," Cana slumped dramatically, "he's bugging me all the time, it's so annoying."

Bacchus laughed, "You say that Cana, but I see your spirit, it's down. I know you liked having that crazy old man here, you don't have to act tough for me."

Cana tilted her head and wrinkled her brow. She had been working with Bacchus for a few months now and, true to her word, she had keep everything friendly. No more hook ups or late night rendezvous, no sex in the backroom after work. Just friendly flirting and sexual tension. Things before they worked together had always been very light and fun, no strings attached. Now that she was forced to be in the same room as him for long periods of time, most of which she spent sober, she was finding him irritatingly insightful about what was going on in her head. It was not making her happy.

Just as she was about to make some snappy reply, a silver blur caught her eye. Laxus and Freed had just walked into the door and Mira came barreling through the restaurant to leap into Laxus's arms. Cana couldn't help but snort in amusement at Laxus's surprised and embarrassed face, he was going to have to start getting used to his girlfriend's displays of affection.

"Not very professional Mira!" She called out, loving when Mira's face turned bright red. Teasing her was so easy sometimes. The embarrassment didn't last long, Mira laughed, gave Laxus a kiss, then led him by the hand towards one of the open tables for four.

"When did that happen?" Bacchus asked motioning with his chin to the couple.

Cana leaned on the counter, and rested her head on her hand. She took a sip of her drink and smiled at the happy scene of her friends finally getting their shit together. "I don't know, I can't remember when it wasn't happening in some way."

* * *

Natsu couldn't keep his mouth shut as he looked around Lucy's childhood bedroom. He was pretty sure it was bigger than his current house. It made doubts begin to take root in his heart. Could Lucy truly be satisfied with the life they were building together? He was pretty sure that no matter how many hours he worked, he would never be able to afford a place like this. At least he knew he could build the furniture here, that side table was a piece of crap. Seriously, how did Jude let something like that in here.

"I'm sorry Natsu, I swear that book I wanted was around here somewhere. Just give me another second," Lucy said, pulling yet another bin out of the armoire and throwing her things around her.

Natsu felt antsy, he couldn't stay in here anymore or he'd be forced to take apart that side table. Just looking at its poor leg design was pissing him off, "You know, how 'bout I meet you out front. I need to stretch my legs."

Lucy looked up at him and smiled, "Okay, do you remember which way to go?"

Natsu rubbed the back of his neck and scrunched up his face as if insulted, "Of course I do! Jeez Luce, it's not like this is the Taj Mahal or something."

Lucy laughed and returned to her search. "Alright Natsu, if you say so. I'll see ya in a few."

Five minutes later and Natsu was lost. He was starting to think the house was magic, because he was pretty sure he had passed that picture three times already. He always had a great sense of direction, how could he be going in circles? He stopped for a moment and looked up at the portrait. It looked like Lucy, only slightly older, she had the same honey blond hair and chocolate brown eyes. She wore an extremely ornate dress and had a secret smile on her lips.

"That's Lucy's mom Layla," came Jude's voice from behind him.

"Oh, of course, Lucy looks so much like her," Natsu said, admiring the artistry of it. Even the frame was fantastic; hand carved with leaves, flowers, and birds. The whole thing must have cost a fortune.

"They were alike in more ways than just looks," Jude said fondly, taking a place next to Natsu to look up at the frame. "Both strong and smart, and of course extremely stubborn." Jude breathed out deeply and looked at Natsu for a moment, a considering look on his face. "You know Natsu, I have to admit I was extremely apprehensive about you at first."

Natsu raised his brows and turned to look at the older man, "Is that right?" He felt all the muscles in his back tense as he waited for the backhanded compliment to arrive.

Jude turned back to the portrait, "Now that I've gotten to know you, I'm happy Lucy found you. She needs someone with backbone, who's not easily intimidated. Someone who isn't afraid to be honest even when it's not what you want to hear. I always thought her last boyfriend was the most appropriate match for her. He could give her what she already had, she would want for nothing. It turns out she wanted for a lot, since he was always telling her what he thought she wanted to hear, and then just doing what he wanted behind her back, thinking he was saving her feelings. I'm glad you guys were able to come for dinner, it's so good to be able to see Lucy again."

Natsu didn't know how to respond. This conversation was just so . . . strange. Lucy's dad was just as weird as she was. Natsu chose to respond with silence, noting that Jude was still staring at the portrait and didn't seem to be expecting a response.

"Look at me, rambling like an old man," Jude smiled. "Can I walk you to the door Natsu? I'm sure Lucy is there by now."

Natsu raised a brow, "She sent you to find me didn't she."

Jude smiled, "No, no, of course not," but he chuckled as he motioned for Natsu to follow him down the hall.

* * *

Wendy laced her arm through Lucy's, "Is it weird that this is slightly terrifying?" She looked around them at the massive group of women milling in front of the store.

"No, that's an appropriate reaction to the sight of a mob of women waiting outside a sale, I won't be surprised if this gets ugly," Lucy smiled.

They found Cana and the Strauss sister's leaning against a wall towards the outer rim of the crowd. Lucy pushed her way to them, handing them the bag of goodies from the bakery and passing around her massive thermos of coffee.

"Oh thank god, you are life saver!" Cana said, taking a greedy sip of caffeine. "I can't believe Erza wanted all of us here at this ungodly hour!"

"Where's Erza?" Lucy asked.

"She got here super early with Juvia and Meredy, the three of them were lucky enough to get a spot right near the door," Lisanna motioned to the front where Lucy could obviously make out the bright red, pink, and blue heads.

Mira stretched big, "She wasn't even happy that we got here at the time she wanted. It's insane how many women got here early!"

"Yea, I'm not looking forward to her wrath, but at least I was able to get over to you guys!" Lucy said happily. "We sort of have an excuse . . ."Lucy started.

Wendy giggled, "Natsu turned off Lucy's alarm this morning."

Lucy face palmed, "He said he was doing me a favor because it was stupid to get up this early for a dress on my day off. I told him I planned on letting Erza know of his sabotage."

Cana laughed, "Erza is gonna kill him, dead."

Lucy cast a glace back towards the redhead at the front, "Let's hope she'll be too distracted with the dress buying to even notice we're late. Juvia is the one who is going to take this the most seriously anyway and she has a front row seat."

"What do you mean?" Lisanna asked tilting her head.

"Yea, we're totally ready to fight some bitches for dresses," Came Mira's sweet voice. To emphasize their point, Lisanna and Mira punched their right fists into their left hands.

"How can you guys be so adorable and frightening as the same time?" Lucy said in awe.

Cana rolled her eyes, "I'm just going to find a place to hide and sleep."

Suddenly there was a commotion near the front of the crowd. Wendy jumped up so she could see. "Miss Lucy, they are opening the doors!"

Cana grinned real big and yelled, "Lets get ready to rumble!" Mira and Lisanna bounced around behind her like they were getting ready to enter the ring.

Lucy grabbed Wendy's arm and bent down to say in her ear, "Remember how you said you found this slightly terrifying?"

Wendy looked up at her wide-eyed, "Yes."

"I now find this extremely terrifying," Lucy admitted.

Wendy smiled and gave an exaggerated nod, "Sometimes the girls we hang out with are a little bit scary." Lucy and Wendy huddled together tightly, shuffling their way towards the room of silk, lace, and certain doom.

* * *

Erza was on a roll. She and Juvia had already sorted through half of the racks in the front portion of the store, with Meredy standing by to hold all good finds. She hoped team B in the back was holding up their end, this place was absolute chaos! She liked it.

Unfortunately, she still hadn't found a dress that matched all of her requirements. Erza had found multiple ones that would be suitable, but none of them were perfect. She hoped this didn't mean she would have to settle. She clicked through a new rack, shaking her head rapidly at all the gowns that wouldn't suit her needs. Then finally, there it was. It had the right sleeves, it was the right shade of white, it had the perfect skirt and embellishments, this was her dress. However, when she went to pull it out, there was a pull from the other side.

"This is my dress, whoever you are. Drop it or live to regret it!" she called to whoever was hidden on the other side.

Kagura's head slowly popped up above the rack. She laughed humorlessly, "I thought I heard your voice Detective Scarlet. You think you are going to make me regret this? Show me what you've got!"

"But, but, you aren't even getting married! Why are you even here?" Erza cried, startled to see her coworker.

"I heard you talking about this at work and I thought it would be a good idea to look," Kagura said.

"Are you even seeing anyone right now!" Erza exclaimed.

Kagura narrowed her eyes, "I don't see how that is any business of yours."

"I'm actually getting married you psycho! Give me my dress!" Erza yelled.

"It's mine!" Kagura yelled back and the two woman began a vicious tug of war. Back and forth the dress was pulled, the women working their hands further and further up the dress until they were practically nose to nose. Just when they were beginning to snarl at each other, strong hands grabbed both of their faces and roughly shoved them apart.

"Mind if I play too? It looks like the two of you have found my dress." Erza snapped to look at the interloper, could it really be Minerva? Gray's dark haired ex stood there, watching them both with a malevolent smile.

"Back off hell beast, this dress is mine. I'm not sure who you tricked into marrying you with your succubus ways but, I can assure you, it will not be in this dress," Erza warned.

Minerva laughed, "Still some anger there? Over poor Gray? Hasn't it been four years now? Really Erza, you would think I dumped you!"

"You are a heartless bitch and you don't deserve this dress!" Erza declared.

Kagura interrupted their standoff, "Enough talk, if you two want this dress, come at me!"

All three woman pulled with all their might, gritting their teeth and kicking when they became too close to each other. Just when it was starting to feel like there would never be a victor, there was a loud tear. The dress pulled apart causing all three to fall to the ground.

* * *

Lucy and Wendy searched through the aisles, trying to stay small and inconspicuous. Some of the women shopping today were vicious. They made it halfway down the second to last row when a hand reached out and pulled them in.

Cana sat crossed legged in the middle of the double rack, a smile on her face and a flask in hand. "Cana! It's like nine in the morning!" Lucy scolded.

Cana waved her off,"Oh, lay off me, I've been awake for way too long and dealt with way too many crazies here to not have something. Do you still have some food left?" Lucy rolled her eyes and pulled the paper bag out of her purse, making Cana squeal with glee. "Lucy, you are the best, have I ever told you that?"

Lucy smiled, "Not really."

Cana reached out and honked a boob, making an appalled Wendy grimace. "You have nice honkers too."

Lucy sighed and brushed Cana away, "You have definitely had too much for this time of day." Her attention was caught by the dress behind Cana. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed, raising on a knee to unhook it off the rack above Cana and ignoring Cana's grabby hands finding her chest for the second time.

"What is it Miss Lucy?" asked Wendy.

Lucy ran her hands over the fabric, "This dress is like the dress of my dreams!" She looked at the tag, "And it's in my size!"

"You should get it," said Cana giving her a wink.

"Oh no, I couldn't. I'm not engaged and it's two hundred and fifty dollars," Lucy frowned and held it up in front of her.

Wendy looked at the tag, "It's two hundred and fifty but that's down from nearly three thousand, that's a pretty good deal Miss Lucy."

"It really is, isn't it," Lucy looked down at the dress again. This was crazy, she shouldn't buy this, where would she even keep it?

"Yea! Get it! We should all get dresses! We could wander around from bar to bar in them, scaring drunk men!" Cana cheered.

Lucy scrunched up her nose and held the dress close to her chest, "That is definitely not what I'm gonna do with it."

Suddenly Mira head popped in between the dresses. She gave them a big smile, "Hey ladies, we're going to have to go, Erza is getting kicked out."

Her sister's head appeared above Mira's, "Yea they are nice enough to let us check out first, but they won't let Erza stay long."

The three woman pulled themselves out of their hiding place and Cana gave Lucy a big pat on the back. "It's now or never Tits Magee, you should buy the dress."

Mira's eyes became wide, "You found a dress?"

Lucy held it out in front of her to show them, while dropping her head in shame, "Yes, I shouldn't get it though. It's not like I'm going to get married any time soon."

Lisanna and Mira danced around it. "Oh Lucy, it's beautiful! It would look so good on you!" Mira exclaimed.

"Just get it, we'll help you hide it from Natsu," Lisanna said.

"We can store it at the restaurant for you!" Mira clapped.

Lucy threw her head back and sighed, "Okay, I'll get it." The other woman cheered and they all headed to the counter where Meredy, Juvia, and Erza waited for them. "I can always sell it on ebay if I change my mind right?"

"Exactly," said Cana putting her arm around Lucy's shoulder.

When they arrived at the bride-to-be, Erza appraised the dress in Lucy's hands and said, "What is that? That wouldn't look good on me."

Lucy turned red, "I decided to get it, it's my dream dress."

Erza narrowed her eyes, "You aren't planning a coup here, are you?"

Lucy put her hand up defensively, "No, I swear." She wiggled her left ring finger, "No engagement."

Erza relaxed, and gave Lucy a smile and a nod, "Alright, then I approve. It would look very nice on you."

"What happened? Why are we getting kicked out?" Cana asked while stuffing the flask back into her purse.

"Well," now it was Erza's turn to blush. "I fought with Kagura over a dress."

"Kagura?" exclaimed a confused Meredy, looking around the store.

"Yes, and then Minerva came, and between the three of us we ruined a very nice dress," Erza started playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Minerva! Who would marry that skank?" Cana sneered. "I wish I had seen you, I still have some pent up anger I would like to unleash on her ass."

"That's not the worst part . . ."Erza bit her lip.

Juvia held up the dress in her hand triumphantly, "Juvia also found Erza's dress, except in Erza's size!" Juvia then held up another dress and said in an excited whisper, "Juvia also found a dress for Juvia."

Meredy covered her face with her hand and huffed out in frustration, "Seriously, what am I doing here with you lunatics!"

* * *

Rogue couldn't help but be amused as he watched his friend attempt to look into the bakery without being noticed. They had gone out for lunch at their usual place; and now, like every day before, they were walking by the cake bakery. They were almost passed it now, and it was obvious that Sting had not found what he was looking for. Keeping his fingers laced behind his head to give off the appearance of nonchalance, he started bending backwards, so far that he looked like he was going to fall over. The further he bent, and the longer he searched through the window with no avail, the larger his frown grew.

"She's not there," Rogue said.

Sting looked at Rogue out of the corner of his eye. He stood up straighter but didn't move his arms from behind his head, "Huh? What are you going on about?" asked Sting.

"The cake baker with the short hair, she doesn't work there anymore," Rogue said shrugging his shoulders.

"Who said anything about a cake baker," String frowned and jammed his hands in his pockets. Then his eyes widened and he turned to Rogue suddenly, "Wait, did you say she doesn't work there anymore? How do you know that?"

"They told me," Rogue knew he was being difficult but he couldn't help but tease him.

Sting threw his hands in the air in exasperation, "What kind of an answer is that? Who told you? Why did they tell you?"

"Well you look for her every day when we come down here for lunch and you always seem so disappointed when you don't see her. It was getting pathetic. So I went in and asked them where she was because my friend is hopelessly in love with her and wants to find her." Rogue made a small smile.

Sting's mouth dropped, "You did not!"

"Well I couldn't very well tell them I was hopelessly in love with her, that would be extremely embarrassing," Rogue said dryly.

Sting crossed his arms and scowled, "Sometimes I can't tell if you are being sarcastic or not."

Rogue sighed and mumbled to himself, "Neither can I."

Sting ignored the comment and grabbed his arm, "Well, did they say where she is now?"

"No, actually they were extremely rude. Said she was fired because she was terrible at her job and that you would be better off without her. Seemed like a horrible place, she's probably better off without them," Rogue wrinkled his nose slightly. He had speculated the place was as such when he had helped Rufus set up his wedding cake through there. They were lucky to have Yukino picked to handle their job, her coworker's egos were disgusting. She had been so kind and sweet, a real rose among the thorns.

"Well maybe she did something wrong, or she was rude on the way out," Sting mused.

Rogue slightly narrowed his eyes, barely giving away his desire to smack his friend in the back of the head. "Unlikely. You remember when she was working with Rufus, he was terrible, constantly changing his mind when he would see something new. She was always accommodating and polite. The final cake was spectacular and exactly what he wanted. Besides, her former coworkers show themselves to be extremely unprofessional if they gossip about former employees to strangers off the street."

"Hmm, I supposed you're right." String groaned and pulled slightly at his hair, "Argh, and just when I was working up the courage to go in there and say hi!" He returned his hands to his pockets, and huffed out a sigh.

Rogue gave his friend a supportive pat on the back, "Maybe we'll run into her again somewhere else. She probably stayed in the area somewhere."

Appearing revived, Sting threw and arm around Rogue's shoulder and threw a fist in the air, "Yes, I will find her! Victory shall be mine at any cost!"

"Except not to a creepy stalker level," Rogue added with a small smile. He knew Sting could get a little too enthusiastic about these things.

Sting threw his fist back in the air, "Yes! I will find her . . . but not stalk her!" The two men laughed and continued up the street.


	23. The Dress Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy's impulse buy has unusual consequences

* * *

 

Laxus stepped into Mira's office and walked over to her desk. She had said the Tylenol would be in the second drawer on the right. His head was killing him, he definitely didn't drink enough water at the job today, and being out in the hot sun had taken it's toll. Bottle retrieved, he opened it and popped three pills in his mouth. While gulping down a glass of water, his eyes were drawn to the closet that had been left open. That wasn't extremely unusual, Mira left it open all the time, what was unusual was the giant white garment bag that now hung inside.

Laxus frowned, he was pretty sure that wasn't there two weeks ago when he was back here. Why would she keep a big garment bag at the restaurant? He hoped it wasn't a mascot costume or something like that, it wouldn't suit the place at all. Really it wasn't his business anyway. He started to head out the door and glanced one more time at it, this time catching the word wedding written on the front. Fuck, he hoped that didn't mean what he thought it meant. Spurned on by the terror that was forming in his gut, he stormed over and pulled the zipper half way down. It was definitely a wedding dress.

His mouth went dry. What the hell did this mean? Mira said they could take their time but she was buying a dress? Was he supposed to do something here? Shouldn't he get a ring and ask a question before she went and bought this white monstrosity? Fuck it, he had to go get her and ask her. This was bullshit. Lulling him into complacency and then surprising him with this shit, it was not okay.

He stomped out into the front where Mira was helping behind the bar, giggling at something Bixlow had said. When he got over to his friends, Freed looked up at him with his brows furrowed in concern, "Is everything okay Laxus? You don't look very well."

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine," Laxus said curtly, grabbing Mira's arm and dragging her to the back office with him.

Mira just smiled and let herself be dragged along, when he pulled her through the door of her office she winked, "I don't know if this is the best time for a quickie hun."

Laxus threw his head back and sighed, then released her and walked over to the closet, pulling the garment bag out. "What is this Mira?"

Mira's face grew serious and she put a finger to her mouth, "Well I'm not sure . . .hmm you know, I think . . .I mean I'm not an expert here . . .but I think that just might be a wedding dress." She covered her mouth to hide her giggles.

Laxus ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep a lid on his temper, "Come on Mira, this isn't funny. You said we didn't have to rush things, so why the hell do you have a wedding dress in your office?"

"It's not mine silly, why would I hide my dress here? I'd put it somewhere you wouldn't find it. It's bad luck for the groom to see the dress before the wedding you know." Mira walked over and zipped the garment bag all the way up. She gently dislodged Laxus' grip from the side of the bag and tucked the whole thing back in the closet.

Laxus scratched the back of his neck,"Does that mean you did get a dress and you are hiding it somewhere from me?"

Mira smiled big and waved his worries off, "Of course not! We're not engaged. When I pick out my dress it will be somewhere that serves champagne." Mira held a hand up like she was holding a glass and lifted her chin, "Then Lisanna and I can say stuff like 'we love the neckline but it shows too much of my decolletage.'"

Laxus' whole body relaxed and he rubbed his aching head, "Thank god, that scared the shit out of me."

Mira smiled and gave him a big hug, "Well I hope you cleaned up after yourself."

"Huh? Really Mira," Laxus couldn't help but smile as she giggled into his chest. "Who's dress is that then?"

"Lucy's," Mira responded simply.

Laxus' brow wrinkled in confusion, "What? Did I miss when Natsu asked the question?"

"No, they aren't engaged, she just really liked the dress so I told her she should get it," Mira stepped away from him and went over to her desk where she started tidying her stacks of paper.

"Mira, they haven't even been together a year now, you shouldn't try to push them into this," Laxus warned.

"Aww, but they would make the most adorable babies!" Mira exclaimed, moving to put some papers away in the file cabinet.

"I'm gonna tell him," Laxus crossed his arms.

"No, you can't!" Mira exclaimed, still turned towards the file cabinet so that Laxus couldn't see the small smile forming on her lips.

Laxus pointed a finger at her, "Yes I can Mira, he has a right to know. Next thing I know you'll be booking wedding locations for them."

Mira turned and gave him a big grin, "Now that's an idea!"

Laxus sighed and rolled his eyes, "You are hopeless."

Mira walked over and wrapped her hands around his waist, "Come on, let's get back or your friends are really gonna think we're getting frisky back here."

Laxus gave a half smile, "That wouldn't be such a bad idea . . ."

Mira laughed and pulled out of his hold, then grabbed his hand and led him to the door, "And I'm the one who is hopeless?"

Laxus gave a full grin this time, "But later right?"

Mira just smiled and winked.

* * *

Levy leaned against the window, hand resting on her abdomen so she could focus on the little one dancing inside, Gajeel's cat Lily curled up by her toes. It was late and the sun was starting to go down, spreading oranges and pinks across the horizon. She wasn't a big fan of these evenings when Gajeel had to work late. Even if half the time he merely acted as a foot cushion while she read, his presence had become such a comfort to her.

Since Gajeel wasn't home she finally had time to catch up with Lucy on the phone. The last couple weeks had been busy so she hadn't found time to slip next door, so the phone call had seemed like the perfect thing to cheer up her lonely evening. Instead she was feeling confused and upset. She should probably blame it on the hormones, why would it bother her that Juvia and Lucy would buy dresses too. It didn't mean that they were getting married soon, it meant that they were impulsive and crazy. It still bothered her though, Juvia had only known Gray a year and Lucy had known Natsu for less than that. Levy has known Gajeel for nearly six years now, half which she considered him her best friend. They had even been a couple for longer than the others. Yet, though she was pregnant and living with him, she still didn't have a ring.

What she couldn't figure out is why that bothered her now. She didn't need a ring to know Gajeel loved her. Levy was sure she hadn't felt that way before. She had never felt any jealousy towards Erza, she was very happy for her friend and her upcoming nuptials. This stuff with Lucy was just making Levy start to have doubts. Like why hadn't Gajeel asked her yet. With his obnoxious alpha nature, it would make sense that he would want to mark her as his own with something as archaic at a ring and changing her name. He would also give her crap for referring to it as such.

Weddings had never really been important to Levy. Her own parents hadn't been married until long after she was born, and even then it was in some tribal type ceremony that they had more taken part of out of intellectual curiosity than anything else. Her mother had never changed her name. Yet her parents had loved each other to the very end, she didn't know a pair of people more in tune.

The role reversal was very confusing and unnerving for her. Why was Gajeel hesitating? Did he really not care? Did he not want to marry her when she was all fat and swollen? She looked down at her swollen feet and ankles and grimaced. Levy wasn't sure she would want to wear a wedding dress in her current state. She would look like some sort of overdressed beluga whale.

The whole topic was just exhausting. Maybe she would just rest her eyes for a bit. She didn't need a wedding, she just needed some sleep.

* * *

"What's wrong with him?" Orga motioned to the blond currently collapsed on the table.

Rogue took a sip of his beer, eyes studying the crowd, "He's feeling a little down."

"A little down!" Sting lifted his head and cried dramatically, "A child who lost a lollipop is a little down, I'm absolutely depressed! I have checked every bakery in the entire city and no one has seen head or tail of that woman! She's moved away and now I will never see her again. All that time wasted! I never said hello!" He fell back down on the table.

Rogue looked at Orga and shrugged, "See a little down."

Orga sat at the table with the frown, "Ah, woman trouble, I know that feeling brother. I'm glad I had to go out of town for the last week, a change of scenery did me good. Course it didn't help that when I got in and asked about Mira, Juvia ran away sobbing." He leaned into his hands, "Pretty sure she's with Laxus already."

"That's a shame, I liked her," Rogue commiserated.

Orga rubbed his chin, "Eh, I let it go on longer than it should have. I knew it wasn't working, she was just so . . . ." he sighed. "Let's not talk about it, who's this girl Sting is stalking."

"I'm not stalking her, I'm searching for her," Sting mumbled loudly into his arms.

"Remember the baker from Rufus' wedding?" Rogue asked.

"Yea, the short haired chick. Yukino right?" Orga took a sip of his beer and smiled.

"Yes, we used to pass by her workplace on the way back from our lunch break, but she is no longer employed there," explained Rogue.

"Oh, I know that," Orga took a slow sip and swallowed. "In fact, I know where she's working right now."

Sting leapt across the table grabbing Orga by the shirt, just barely missing tipping his beer, "Why didn't you tell me this earlier!"

Orga laughed, dislodging Sting's hands and brushing off his collar, "Chill out, I happen to like this shirt. How the hell was I supposed to know you had a thing for her? We only saw her like three times for wedding stuff."

Sting pulled his hands down the sides of his face in frustration, "Good gods man! Where is she then?"

"She works at a bakery a few stores down from Mira's bar. I talked to her once at the bar, she told me she moved in with her sister in the suburbs over there," Orga said.

Sting threw his arms up in celebration, "Yes! Now just to figure out how to see her."

Rogue made a small chuckle, "You could always just go get a cup of coffee."

* * *

Gajeel shut the door quietly, stepping out of his boots and leaving them by the door. He hated working so late but Levy had a doctors appointment the next day and he wanted to be there. He was tired and very ready to get a hot shower and a warm bed, but he knew there were things he would have to get done first. After all, he did live with an absentminded shrimp.

He shut off the light in the living room, and the dining room, and the kitchen. Moved the wash to the dryer, shut off the stereo, and cut the light to the back porch. He cleared the leftover time from the timer on the microwave, and rinsed the few dishes in the sink to put them in the dishwasher. At least this time she hadn't left the oven on or any candles lit in the living room, maybe this was a sign of improvement.

He rubbed his tired face and headed up the stairs, smiling when he found her sleeping in her favorite spot. Levy was fast asleep on her window seat, book open on her growing stomach, the moonlight illuminating her peaceful face. He didn't want to get her yet, he smelled of sweat, metal, and sawdust. Instead Gajeel stripped his dirty clothes, throwing them in the hamper and headed to the bathroom. He hopped in a hot shower, singing as he scrubbed the layer of grime from his body.

When he was clean and dry, he headed towards his tiny woman, hefting her easily into his arms and turning towards the bed. She gave an adorable tiny yawn and snuggled into his bare chest, doubly making Gajeel thankful he had showered before grabbing her. He pulled the covers back and set her down, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. She smiled and hummed, half opening her eyes then pulling his face down to kiss her on the lips. Moments like this made it all worth it, the long hours, the tidying after her, fixing the microwave once a week; he would do it time and time again for her sweet kisses and smiles.

Then her eyes closed and her face began to fall down into a frown. "What's the matter Shorty?" Gajeel pushed a stray hair behind her ear then let his fingers lightly whisper across her jawline.

She looked up at him but didn't say anything right away. Levy opened her mouth then shut it suddenly, blowing out a loud breath from her nose. Her brow furrowed and she quietly started, "Gajeel . . ." then stopped again, shifting her gaze to look at his chest instead of his eyes.

"Too entranced with my sexiness to put a full sentence together," Gajeel grinned, attempting to lighten her mood.

"Do you want to marry me, like at all?" Levy spat out, then her eyes widened and she covered her mouth. Her cheeks flushed red and he could tell tears were starting to form.

Gajeel couldn't help but chuckle at her unexpected question. He gave her a sad smile, pregnant Levy was kind of a mess. "Of course I do Shorty, although, as far as proposals go, that wasn't very romantic," he pulled a hand from her face and gave it a kiss.

"Gajeel! That wasn't a proposal!" she exclaimed. She pulled her hand from his grip and crossed her arms protectively, "it's just . . .it's just with everything going on these days I don't feel like I know what you're thinking. And I was worried that maybe you weren't sure about me or something . . ." She covered her face, "I don't know! Oh Gajeel, what is this baby doing to my brain!"

Gajeel chuckled and rose from the bed. He crossed the room and went to his dresser, pulling out the top drawer. It didn't take long to find what he was looking for, he had just pulled it out yesterday, wondering when he would work up the courage to give it to her. It seemed strange that in their current circumstances, something like asking her to marry him would still feel so hard. He turned and smiled at her confused expression, she was so beautiful.

He walked back to the bed and for a moment hesitated. Should he kneel? Sit with her? Sing a song? This seemed so simple and he had always thought it should be something grand and romantic. Maybe that had been his problem in the first place, he had been over thinking when he should have just gone with his instincts. Gajeel decided to just sit next to her, wiping her cheek with his free hand. "Nah Levy, I haven't helped much. I've had this ready for weeks, I just couldn't find the right time to give it to you." He grabbed her left hand and placed the ring on her ring finger, "You want to put up with this metal head for the rest of your life?"

For a moment Levy stared at her hand in disbelief, then her face slowly pulled up into a happy smile, "Gajeel it's beautiful!" Gajeel couldn't help but puff up a bit in pride. He had worked really hard on the ring, it was white gold, small flowers weaving their way up the sides, similar to the ones he had put on her Christmas gift. It was a good quality diamond, one he had been hanging onto for a while, just waiting for the right use for it. Gajeel had started the ring only a few weeks into their relationship, knowing in his heart that, one way or another, they would get to this point. The ring was probably the first thing he had ever made that he couldn't find a fault with, so it was only appropriate that it would be for Levy.

She was still staring at it and hadn't given him a proper reply, so he cocked his head and gave her a half grin, "Is that a yes Shorty?"

Levy shifted her eyes to him and her smile widened, she threw her arms around him and gave him an enthusiastic kiss, "Yes, of course, yes!" She pulled back to look at him, her eyes twinkling, "Let's go get the license tomorrow!"

"Huh?" Gajeel was a little lost.

"I don't want to wait Gajeel, lets go get the license and then we can go to the courthouse next week, let mom and Juvia be our witnesses. I don't want to do a big thing, it costs too much money. Plus I'm pregnant, so I'd look silly in a dress and I couldn't drink any champagne. So let's surprise everyone and just do it!"

"I don't know, you sure you don't want the big ordeal or anything?" Gajeel asked.

Levy pulled herself closer, shaking her head into his chest, "Nope, I just want you."

Gajeel smiled, "Alright Shorty, let's do it then."

* * *

"Don't forget when you cut the next piece to leave section open for the vent," Gray said, standing over Natsu's shoulder.

"No shit numb nuts!" Natsu said with a frown, not taking his eye off the cut.

"You sure? Because it looks like you are cutting it wrong," Gray crossed his arms.

Natsu breathed out deeply and cut the saw off. He put his safety earmuffs down around his neck and turned to look at Gray. He pointed at him using the piece of flooring, "See this is why I don't like working with you! Fucking Gajeel has to disappear to who knows where and I'm stuck with you! Don't you have something better to be doing than looking over my shoulder!"

Gray tilted his head, not in the least bit intimidated by Natsu's tone, "No, because you are taking forever to make the stupid cuts." He gestured to where all the current pieces of flooring were already put in.

Natsu put the earmuffs back over his ears and grumbled, "Would've done just fine on my own but stupid Laxus making me take help." He turned on the saw and went back to making measured cuts into the piece of wood. When he was finished he stomped over and set the piece in place. He motioned to it and widened his eyes at Gray, "See! Perfect fit!"

Gray leaned against the way, a small smirk forming on his face, "You got lucky."

"That was skill you icy bastard!" Natsu's volume was starting to increase with his agitation, he stomped in Gray direction.

Just when he was about to grab the dark haired smartass, a voice rang out, "Can't I ever leave you fuckers alone without coming back to the two of you fighting!" Laxus stood in the doorway, running a hand down his face.

"What are you doing here?" Gray said, his face wary.

Laxus shrugged, and held up a bag, "I brought sandwiches."

"Is this some kind of trick?" Natsu narrowed his eyes, but drifted towards the bag, led by his nose.

"They aren't poisoned or something?" Gray asked, slowly sidling his way towards Laxus.

"Seriously, I bring lunch and you guys immediately distrust it," Laxus rubbed his jaw. "No, assholes, it's just lunch. I wanted to talk to Natsu." He sighed when they both still eyed him suspiciously, "You guys are fucking ridiculous. Come on let's go eat outside."

They all went outside and clambered up onto Gray's tailgate. It was nice to be in the sunshine, the house was too cold for Natsu. Out here the sun warmed his back and he soaked it in gratefully, wishing he had a reason to be out here longer, missing the beach. He took the sandwich from Laxus, tearing away the paper and taking a large bite. He didn't know what was responsible for the strange change, maybe Mira was a good influence, but if it meant lots of sandwiches, he liked the new Laxus. "So what did you come over here for, you going to take Gray somewhere else? Cause I really don't need him."

Gray rolled his eyes.

"Natsu just accept the fucking help! I don't know why everyone wants a damn floor put in right now, but we've got like three more behind this one and I need you to go as fast as you can. That means using Gray or Gajeel. Fuck Natsu, what are you twelve, learn to work with Gray!" Laxus angrily tore into his sandwich.

Natsu pouted, his mouth full of food. He flicked Gray off when he noticed his gloating smile, then turned back to Laxus, "Then why are you here?"

Laxus sighed, "You remember how the girls all went to help Erza . . ."

"Yea . . ." Natsu wondered where Laxus was going with this.

"Well has Lucy told you what she did there?" Laxus tested.

"No, well at least I don't think so, anytime she starts talking about Erza's wedding stuff my brain kinda turns off," Natsu said, taking another bite of his sub. "I really just don't care about how there are five different kinds of blue for bridesmaid dresses ya know?"

"Mira's gonna be pissed at me, but I had to tell you. Lucy bought a dress at the sale," Laxus stared at Natsu waiting for a reaction. Gray choked on his sandwich.

Natsu looked at Laxus for a while, wide-eyed with surprise, a weird smile forming on his face. Just when Laxus was starting to think he was losing it, Natsu surprised them all by doubling over in riotous laughter.

Laxus looked at Gray in confusion, Gray merely shrugged, "I think you broke him."

Natsu came up for air, looking at the sky with a large open grin on his face, "I knew that was going to happen! Lucy is such a weirdo!"

Gray raised a brow, "That doesn't bother you?"

Laxus' mouth dropped, "Wait, you knew this would happen?"

"Yea, I tried to keep her from going by turning off her alarm, but she's so used to getting up early I wasn't able to trick her long enough." Natsu finally realized that both men were staring like he had lost his mind. "What? Lucy is like the worst impulse buyer on the planet! If she sees something she likes, and it's a good deal, she has to have it. It's probably left over from not being told no enough as a little kid. She's not allowed to shop without supervision anymore. Going to a dress sale with Cana and Mira is like the opposite of going shopping with supervision, that's more like having a devil on both shoulders telling you to get it." He took a big bite of his sandwich and gave them another grin.

"Seriously, it doesn't bother you at all that Lucy bought a wedding dress?" Gray asked in disbelief.

"Nah," Natsu said, wiping mayo from the corner of his mouth and licking his finger.

"But you haven't even known Lucy for a year man and she's starting to plan your wedding!" Laxus exclaimed.

"She can plan it however she wants, I don't care," Natsu grinned and took another bite.

"Are you planning on marrying Lucy?" asked Gray

"Of course I'm gonna marry Lucy," Natsu said with his mouth full.

"How can you be so sure?" Laxus raised a brow.

"I just know," Natsu said, swallowing deeply.

"What if a year from now she decides she can't stand your farts, or she finally realizes what a giant pig you are when you eat?" Gray asked, his face screwed up in disgust as he watched Natsu shove the last quarter of his sandwich in his mouth.

"That's stupid, Lucy's known what a big pig I am from day one! As for farting, it was just yesterday she was taking a shower so I went in there and ripped a big one," Natsu laughed with his mouthful. "I mean, she was pissed at me. Afterwards she chased after me and tried to tackle me, as if getting tackled by a clean, naked woman is some kind of punishment."

"I think Lucy has obtained Saint status," said Gray, shaking his head at Natsu.

Laxus rubbed his temples, "Wait, so your telling me you've been with Lucy like seven months now and you are already turning her shower into some kinda fucked up, stinky sauna."

"I know, that's love right?" Natsu joked. He saw their looks of disapproval and laughed, "What? Do you guys hide your farts and bad manners or something? What's the point of being with someone if you can't be yourself?"

"Doing the nasty shit that you do would not be me being myself," Gray scoffed.

"I've know Mira since we were kids, I don't have to hide anything because we grew up running around naked in the backyard together. I taught that girl how to spit and flick people off. That's different. You just met Lucy last November, and you're probably already shitting with the door open." Laxus wrinkled his nose, "That's weird."

"That's just me," Natsu shrugged.

"So you're telling us that you could marry Lucy tomorrow, that idea doesn't freak you out?" Gray asked, tucking his trash into the empty bag in the back of the trunk.

Natsu paused for a moment, running his tongue back and forth over his teeth as if he was testing the taste of the idea. "You know, no, that wouldn't bother me in the least. Maybe I should ask her, it's where we're heading anyway. Why wait?" He grew a mischievous grin, "I bet it would piss Erza off too, I wonder if I could get a wedding in before hers."

Laxus pulled himself off the side of the truck and turned, "You are absolutely out of your mind." His eyes widened in sudden understanding, "Fuck."

"What's wrong?" Gray asked.

"I knew Mira gave in too easily when I told her I was going to tell you about the dress, that crafty bitch," He put his hands to his hips and breathed out in a half laugh, "She fucking knew this was exactly what you were going to do. Damnit, she probably even wanted me to do this shit in the first place." He pointed at Natsu, "Don't ask her to marry you, it's too soon."

Natsu grinned, "Now I'm definitely going to do it."

"You can't ask someone to marry you just to spite someone else," Gray sighed.

"I was going to do it eventually, I just hadn't really thought about it yet. The fact that it's going to bother Laxus and Erza is just added bonus," Natsu's grin grew larger.

"If you ask her, Mira wins. She's manipulating this just because she thinks you would have cute babies," Laxus frowned.

"We would have cute babies. Why are you so afraid of babies Laxus?" Natsu hopped off the tailgate, adding his trash to the bag and wiping his hands off on his pants. "Even Gajeel likes babies and he doesn't even like people."

Laxus pulled at his hair in frustration, "Yea, I'm leaving before you make my head explode."

"Leaving so soon? You don't want to stay and pick out names with me?" Natsu teased, following Laxus to his truck.

"Finish the fucking floor Natsu, I'll see you tonight at Mira's," Laxus said, climbing into the driver's side.

Natsu stood with his hands on his hips, grinning widely as he watched Laxus pull away. Gray came up behind him and patted him on the shoulder, "Ready to get this shit done?"

Natsu laughed and turned to head back into the house, "Yea man, let's get it done, we've got a party tonight."

* * *

Levy took a deep breath as she took her purse from the security guard in the front of the courthouse. This was happening, it was really happening! She had found a very nice cream colored dress at the maternity store and, for once, felt cute instead of huge. Juvia was kind enough to help her do her hair and makeup, she almost felt like a real bride! Now if they could just get Gajeel through the security check point, she could become Mrs. Redfox.

"I don't suppose you could take all those piercings out?" asked the security guard with a sigh.

"No," Gajeel crossed his arms, staring the portly man down.

"Of course not," the guard said, annoyed to have to climb out of his seat. He waved the metal detecting gun over Gajeel a few times, making sure it only beeped where he could see jewelry and then rolled his eyes and waved him in, "Why is it the guys who come here all the time always have the most piercings."

Levy giggled and grabbed her agitated fiance by the arm, pulling him further into the courthouse. "He thinks you are here for some kind of criminal offense," she teased.

Gajeel chuckled, "Well I am going to get some kind of life sentence aren't I."

Juvia clapped her hands, then gave them going a big hug, "Juvia is so excited! Juvia is just so happy!"

The all headed into the courtroom, quietly waiting until their names were called.

"Levy McGarden and Gajeel Redfox?" The old woman in robes called out.

"That's us shrimp, let's go," Gajeel said, his smile not doing a great job of hiding his nerves.

The four of them went up to the front of the courtroom where the judge said "Are you Levy McGarden here of your own free will . . ."

"Of course she is!" Gajeel interupted, Belno chuckling silently behind them.

The judge pointed to him with a frown, "You will not interrupt or I will spin you! This is standard procedure now hold your tongue."

Gajeel crossed his arms and breathed out deeply, Levy smiled and touched his arm in reassurance, he always got so flustered when he was nervous.

"As I was saying," the judge turned back to Levy, "Are you Levy McGarden here of your own free will, and do you intend to marry Gajeel Redfox?"

Levy looked up at the dark haired man standing next to her and grinned, "I am."

* * *

"Juvia is taking all of us out to dinner, Juvia will not take no for an answer!" Juvia said as they left the courthouse.

Levy couldn't believe it was over. She looked down at the certificate in her hands, this was about as real as it gets. A small part of her was a little bit disappointed, maybe she had missed out by not including her friends in on this. It would have been nice to have Jet, Droy, or Lucy there.

"That sounds very nice Juvia, thank you," Levy's mother answered.

"Oh you don't have to do that, we could treat," Levy tried.

"No, no, Juvia insists, it will be my present to you. Let's go to Mira's," Juvia said, her joyful smile causing one to form on Levy's face as well.

When they arrived at Fairy Tail, Levy noticed there was a white piece of paper of the front door. Before she could read it though, Juvia was throwing the door open, waving them all in. "Come on now, come on, we must celebrate your love!"

When they stepped into the main dining room, Levy was almost deafened by the cries of "surprise!" She stared in shocked joy at the sight of all her friends gathered together. There was a large buffet spread out across multiple tables, at the end a gorgeous multi-tiered wedding cake. Tables had been pushed aside to make a dance floor, and in the corner sat a table stacked to the brim with presents.

"Levy had no idea right? Juvia did good?" Juvia asked with hope in her eyes.

Her mother gave her a hug, "Congratulations dear, you do have such lovely friends don't you."

Before Levy could respond, she was barraged with hugs and well wishes. At the end, Cana handed her a Shirley Temple, "Fancy drink for the pregnant lady."

Lucy gave her a hug and said, "I hope you don't mind, Juvia told us what you were doing today and we couldn't help ourselves."

"You guys!" Levy exclaimed, tears falling down her cheeks, "I can't believe you did all this!"

Lucy and Cana both folded her into a big hug, "How could we not Levy? We had to celebrate your special day!"

Levy caught Gajeel's eye on the other side of the room, where the guys were shoving shots in his face, begging him to toast. They shared a secret smile and Levy knew, they were starting this thing off right.


	24. Horses and Fireflies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sting finally talks to Yukino, Natsu takes Lucy out to the Connell's farm, and Levy and Gajeel get some surprise news about the baby

* * *

Rogue sighed, "This was amusing at first, but this is rapidly becoming stalking."

"I can't just walk in there! What if she doesn't recognize me? What if she does and she thinks it's weird that I'm here!" Sting banged his head into his steering wheel causing the horn to beep. He hopped up in surprise, grabbing his chest, "Shit, that scared me."

Rogue could barely speak, his body was shaking so hard with silent laughter, "I don't think honking the horn is the best course of action."

"Don't laugh, it was an accident!" Sting threw himself backwards, covering his face in shame.

Rogue placed a supportive hand on his friend's shoulder, "You have been coming here for two weeks now, this is ridiculous. Just go in there and order something. If she doesn't recognize you it doesn't matter, just talk to her like you haven't been watching her go in and out of work for two weeks. If she does recognize you I'm pretty sure she won't think it's weird that you would go to her place of business and purchase something. Generally people who work in this industry like when that happens. I'm pretty sure the only thing that could go wrong is that she noticed you've been watching her outside her window _like a creep_."

Sting frowned and wiped his friend's hand away, "Some pep talk."

Rogue patted the dash, "Well I'm going in then. I'm done helping with your stake out." He opened his door and stepped out of the car, ignoring Sting's cries of protest. Rogue was halfway to the bakery when he heard the car door slam behind him. Sting jogged up next to him, when he caught up he attempted to walk at a normal pace but instead moved into a sort of limp with jerky shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Rogue asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I'm playing it cool, this is my playing it cool walk," Sting said with a smile. His smile dropped when he noticed Rogue's expression, "What?"

"It looks like you're in pain, is there something biting you in your pocket?"

"What no!" Sting shook himself and attempted to walk normally, and failed. "Oh god, I don't remember how to walk!"

"This is back to being amusing," Rogue said as he opened the door to the bakery. The inside had a comfortable feel, it wasn't pretentious like the cake bakery that Yukino had been at before. He also noticed that the prices were much more reasonable, they would have no trouble finding something to purchase.

"Can I help you guys with anything?" asked a pretty blond. She smiled as she waited for their reply. Behind her Yukino stood with her back to them, laughing at someone who was out of his view. Rogue tried to think of a way they could get her attention.

"We're just looking for right now if you don't mind," he said with a smile. Maybe if she went to the back, Yukino would replace her when they were ready.

"Alright then, just let me know if you need anything," she said with a grin.

Sting was still standing in place, staring at the back of the bakery. He swallowed deeply, "I can't believe it, she's actually here."

"You mean in all the times you drove over here, you haven't seen her once?" Rogue whispered.

This snapped Sting out of it, he turned to Rogue and hissed,"No, of course not. It's not like I sit in the parking lot all day, just during lunch. She hasn't left once. I had no way of knowing for sure."

A pink haired man stepped out from the back, "Well I gotta get back to it, Ill see you later Luce!" He bent to give the woman behind the counter a kiss. Rogue noticed Sting froze again.

"Natsu Dragneel?" he asked dumbly.

The man turned and looked at Sting with a confused expression, "Yea?"

"Oh my god, I can't believe it's you. Sting Eucliffe, I wrestled you in high school? We were just a year behind you," Sting explained.

Natsu stared at him with no recognition in his eyes, "Sorry man, doesn't ring a bell."

This made Sting angry, "You've gotta be kidding me, I just barely lost to you in states. I broke your record the following year!"

"Yea, that was a long time ago . . ." Natsu grinned and Rogue had to wonder if maybe he was just messing with Sting's head.

Sting stormed up to the counter, "How can you forget something like that!"

"Sting?" Yukino had finally stepped out of the back. Rogue smiled, yelling like a madman was definitely a way to get her attention, not one he would have picked but certainly effective.

Sting turned bright red and rubbed the back of his head, "Hey Yukino, long time no see!"

The blond smiled, "You know these guys Yukino? Why don't you help them and I can walk Natsu to his car."

"Alright," Yukino smiled as she watched Lucy drag Natsu out the front door, then turned in Rogue and Sting's direction, "So what brings you guys over this way?"

"You," Sting said before he seemed to realize what he was saying, he turned bright red, "I mean Orga told us he ran into you over here so we thought we would come by and say hi."

Yukino's smile grew, "That's so nice of you guys! It's been so long. How is Rufus doing?"

"He's good, I'm sure he remembers your cake fondly," Rogue joked.

"I'm sure he does," Yukino said with a serious face. "Well do you guys want anything? We've got some really good stuff here!"

"Can I get one of those ham and cheese croissants? And I'm sure Sting wants something," Rogue turned to his friend, noting he was quietly staring at the girl on the other side of the counter. Rogue slapped him firmly on the back, "What do you want man?"

Sting cut his eyes angrily at Rogue, then breathed deeply and turned back to Yukino with a smile, "Umm Yukino, would you maybe wanna get a drink some time?"

Rogue couldn't help but smile, knowing how hard it was for Sting to get that out. Yukino looked surprised, but her face rapidly changed to a pleased expression, "I'd love to!"

Sting couldn't smile wider, "Awesome."

"Do you want me to get ya something to eat too? Why don't we go sit a chat for a sec, Lucy should be right back and she won't mind if I take my lunch right now with you guys."

Sting chuckled,"Just get me something you made Yukino, I'm sure I'll like whatever you pick."

* * *

"Natsu, you knew that guy didn't you?" Lucy scolded as they walked into the parking lot.

"Maybe," Natsu said, not really wanting to give himself away.

"That wasn't nice! Why did you do that?" Lucy exclaimed.

Natsu laughed, "Did you see how worked up he got? It was hilarious!"

Lucy smirked and called him out,"You just don't like being reminded about the record thing."

"It isn't fair! The wrestlers his year were terrible! You can't compare, I was better!" Natsu hit the side of his truck and pouted.

Lucy smiled, chuckling at his tantrum, "I'm sure you were." She kissed him lightly on the lips.

"You're good with going to the Connell's next Saturday right?" Natsu asked.

"Yea, that sounds like fun!" Lucy smiled.

"Awesome, I'll give him a text back." Lucy was starting to retreat back towards the bakery but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him, kissing her firmly this time. He smiled at her dazed expression when he pulled away, "See ya tonight weirdo."

She acted annoyed at his insult, but then grinned and blew him a kiss as she walked away, "See ya roomie!"

* * *

"So how do you know Bisca and Alzack again?" Lucy asked as she watched the countryside pass by. It never failed to amaze her how quickly her surroundings could change from cement and asphalt to trees and grassy pastures.

"They went to high school with all of us, they were a year ahead of me, in Erza's grade, but they hung out at the house a lot," Natsu replied. "Gramps was pretty lax so a lot of people hung out at the house back then."

"They were at the grand opening of the restaurant right? I don't think I've seen them other than that." Lucy just barely restrained herself from calling out cow when they passed a field full of them. She laughed at herself, Natsu probably wouldn't share her excitement.

"Well they don't go out much. They live kinda far out here and they have a little girl, Asuka, she's like five or six now. It's kinda a hassle to get a sitter. I should have taken you out here sooner though, their place is awesome," Natsu smiled fondly.

"Oh my god, baby sheep!" Lucy pointed enthusiastically out the window.

Natsu chuckled, "You don't get out to the country often, do you Luce?"

"Well duh! I haven't had a car in like three years and now that I have one I spend all my time with you! When would I have time to get over here?" Lucy smiled at him and then turned back to look out at the farms.

"Well you are going to like Alzack and Bisca's place, lots of horses," Natsu grinned.

"Horses? Yay!" Lucy clapped her hands, then looked embarrassed when Natsu laughed at her. "I just really like horses."

"So does Bisca, when Alzack's grandparent's passed away the farm was left to him and they moved there immediately. Now Bisca uses the property to teach riding. They also have a shooting range on the property and a few years ago they planted grapes to start making wine. I'm not sure if they have a good bottle yet though." Natsu turned the truck onto a dirt road

"Wine and horses? Are we going to heaven?" Lucy sighed falling onto Natsu's shoulder. She watched as row after row of grapevines passed by, they were beautiful.

Natsu laughed and kissed her head, putting an arm around her to pull her closer, "It just might be close."

* * *

"Hello Mrs. Redfox! I'm Michelia, the nurse practitioner with the practice. I'm very sorry, but this morning Dr. Law was called away on a personal matter," the woman stood in front of Levy with a hand outstretched.

"I don't understand, does this mean I won't have my doctor for my birth?" Levy asked, her concern making her rudely ignore the woman's sign of greeting.

Michelia smiled, awkwardly taking back her hand, "No, of course not, it shouldn't take Doctor Law more than a few weeks to get this settled and you're just at thirty weeks now, that's plenty of time! We also have plenty of other capable doctors to take her place if she can't be there."

Levy looked at Gajeel trying to use her eyes to communicate her panic. He gave her a smile and put a hand on her shoulder, "It'll be just fine shrimp," he turned to glare at the poor nurse practitioner, "Dr. Law will back with plenty of time."

The woman's face showed her slight terror, though she attempted to keep smiling, "Yes, yes of course!" She held up the fetal Doppler, "Let's hear that baby's heart shall we?"

Levy pursed her lips and nodded her head, just barely resisting the urge to put her thumbnail in her mouth. Michelia smiled sweetly and squirted the blue gel onto Levy's abdomen, spreading it around with the Doppler and then studiously watching the output screen while she moved it around, pressing it firmly into Levy's belly. Her eyes lit up and she smiled, "There it is! Nice and strong! And . . ." the woman's face dropped to one of confusion.

Levy lost the ability to breath, why did the nurse practitioner look like that? She looked up at Gajeel again, his brows were furrowed in concern. "Hey, is something wrong?" he asked.

Michelia seemed to finally realize she was worrying them, she gave a forced smile. "No! Of course not, nothing wrong, nothing wrong . . ." She stood up straight and wiped Levy's belly clean. "You know I just have to check something really quick in Dr. Law's notes. Just one second, I will be right back!" She ran out the door.

Levy frowned and looked up at Gajeel, he was staring at the door that the woman had just escaped through. When he looked down at her and saw her worry his face turned into a small smile, "Don't you worry Shorty, I probably just scared her away. We'll figure out what's going on."

Michelia's head popped back into the room, "Could you all come with me? We're just going to do a quick ultrasound. There's something I need to check." Now Levy really felt like she really couldn't breath. The baby seemed to sense her distress and began kicking and hitting her from all sides. She closed her eyes and prayed, please don't let anything be wrong!

* * *

Natsu loved watching Lucy at Bisca and Alzack's place. You would think he had taken her to some grand palace or national monument, her eyes sparkled with delight at each new sight. She loved the mountain backdrop, she loved the terrible smelling stables, she loved the old farm house, and she loved the ramshackle wooden pavilion that Bisca and Alzack had built for future wine tastings. She even loved the ragtag group of stray dogs that roamed the property, even if they covered her face with sloppy kisses and her legs with dirty paw prints. After seeing where she had grown up it was slightly surprising that she would like such a rustic aesthetic.

Still he wondered why he was so surprised? She loved his house and his property. She had thrown away a chance to go to college for free and walk right into a job making extremely good money, to spend all day working with her hands and making people happy with her sweets. He really wished he could get over these doubts that he had in the back of his mind. Rationally he knew he had nothing to worry about, Lucy loved him and didn't care about money or status. But a small part of him just couldn't fully let it go.

"Natsu?" he looked down to see tiny Asuka, with her giant cowboy hat, tugging on his pant leg.

"What is it short stuff?" he asked.

The little girl pouted, "How come you don't come see me anymore?"

"What? I come see you all the time!" he countered, feeling guilty because it wasn't true.

"Do not!" Asuka clenched her fists at her sides and furrowed her tiny brow, "Last time you were here was snowy, and it's sunny and hot now. That's a long time!"

He smiled and patted her head, "Yea, I guess you're right, but you know, I had to stay away . . ." He pulled his hand out of his pocket, tightening the muscles in his fingers while holding it in front of his face. "I've got this thing living inside me. . ."

Asuka's entire body tensed as if ready to bound away, but her lips turned up in a wide grin. "What is it?" she whispered excitedly.

Natsu slowly turned to her, his eyes widened with fear, "It's a . . .tickle monster!" She squealed and ran away. He could easily catch her with her tiny stride, so he lumbered after her slowly, every so often catching up to tickle her sides. "Asuka! You have to save me! This tickle monster is taking over my body!" He fell to the ground writhing and convulsing.

Asuka giggled with glee and leapt on top of him, "I'll tickle them out Natsu!"

He made an 'oof' when her knees hit his chest, then groaned, "Oh thank goodness, you kneed them out." Natsu pulled himself to a stand, easily placing her on his shoulders.

"Natsu onward to mama!" she cried pointing in Bisca's direction and smacking him on the head.

"Geez runt, still bossy as ever," Natsu protested, scrunching up his nose, but he ran in the direction of Bisca and Lucy anyway.

"Yay horsey yay!" she said with glee, kicking her legs happily.

Alzack called them all from over near the pavilion to let them know the food was done on the grill. Natsu made a relieved sigh, "Oh thank goodness Asuka, I was getting so hungry I was ready to eat you!"

Asuka crossed her arms, "No way Natsu, I'm not food, I'm a girl!"

Natsu acted confused, "Are you sure about that?" He rolled her off of his head and into his arms, blowing a raspberry on her belly, "Damn you know what, you're right!" Asuka squealed and giggled, begging to be let down. When he put her on the ground she ran at a full sprint to her mother. Lucy stood next to Bisca, watching Natsu approach, a wide happy grin on her face. Yea, he really liked seeing her here.

* * *

Gajeel was nervous as hell, it didn't help that Levy kept looking up at him for reassurance. How the hell could he make her feel better when he was scared out of his mind? Why couldn't that stupid woman just tell them what she was worried about? They entered the cool dark room where the ultrasound was, Michelia gave them an apologetic smile, "If you could just take a seat on the table Mrs. Redfox, I will go track down the tech." Then she disappeared into the hall, closing the door behind her.

He couldn't help but love the way that sounded, Mrs. Redfox. He looked over to see poor Levy struggling to get up on the high table with her large belly and tiny legs. Gajeel walked over and lifted her easily, setting her on the edge of the table. "Gihihi, I guess they don't make these Shrimp sized."

Levy's eyes were sad, "What if something is wrong Gajeel, what will we do?"

He bent over to give her a small kiss and fold her into a hug, fully recognizing that he needed it as much as she did, "I don't know Levy, we'll just have to wait and see what they say."

Michelia burst through the doors with what Gajeel could only describe as a young teen following after her. "This is Eve he's going to be our ultrasound tech today," Michelia said.

Gajeel scoffed, "You've got to be fucking kidding me," earning him a smack on the arm from Levy.

"I can assure you sir, I am older than I look," Eve said, sitting at the computer next to Levy's table. "If you don't want to be here, you don't have to be. Thank you for coming."

Gajeel crossed his arms, "Not on your life boy."

"Okay," Michelia smiled uncomfortably, "Eve is very good, the best we have Mr. Redfox, I can assure you. Otherwise I would have picked . . .you know never mind." She put a hand on Eve's shoulder and hissed, "You can't tell the fathers to leave."

Gajeel helped Levy to lay back on the table, keeping her hand in his to give her support as Eve squirted the gel on her stomach. "Such a lucky child to have such a beautiful mother," he said.

Levy gave him a look of discomfort, Michelia covered her face with her hand, Gajeel was ready to punch the little punk. "Watch your mouth kid," Gajeel warned. Eve only grinned and winked.

The picture came up on the screen, Eve running the ultrasound wand across Levy's stomach until he found the feet. Michelia sighed, "Just as I thought."

Gajeel had had enough, "What? What! What the hell did you think? You're freaking us out here!"

"Well this hardly ever happens," Michelia turned to look at them, a weird smile on her face. "I have to say congratulations, you're going to have twins!"

Gajeel's mouth dropped in shock, he turned back to the ultrasound seeing, sure enough, three feet. "How the fuck are there two babies in there now, when there was only one ten weeks ago!"

"Gajeel, language!" Levy exclaimed she turned to the nurse practitioner, "Really though, how can this be?"

"Well, I reviewed the images and I spoke to the ultrasound tech who did the last scan." Michelia frowned, "Apparently for your last scan she was very worried about upsetting the scary father who was scowling at her the whole time. She really didn't want to accidentally reveal the sex since you were adamant that you didn't want to see it and it may have made her rush through the scan."

Eve continued to move the wand around, taking measurements and typing in notes. The screen now showed both babies' heads, clear in black and white. "Lucky for you sir, I don't scare easily!" he said with a big grin.

Levy hit Gajeel again, "Gajeel you have to stop scowling at everybody!"

Gajeel held up his hands in defense, "I'm not doing anything! This is my damn natural face! It's not my fault that woman couldn't do her job under pressure."

Machelia smiled, "Both babies look healthy though, good strong heartbeats. So far the measurements look great!"

Levy sighed in relief, happily looking up at the screen, "That's great, what a relief!"

Gajeel fell into the seat behind him, suddenly feeling dizzy. "Holy shit."

"Gajeel are you okay?" Levy gave him a look of concern and grabbed his hand.

Gajeel gave her a forced smile and nod of his head, but couldn't say a word. He watched the screen and breathed out deeply. Two fucking babies, he and Levy were screwed.

* * *

"What made you and Bisca decide to get married when you did?" Natsu asked Alzack. They sat out on the pavilion, with beers in hand, watching Bisca, Lucy, and Asuka catch fireflies.

Alzack glanced at Natsu from the corner of his eye, a grin on his lips,"What makes you wanna know now?"

Natsu relaxed back in his chair and looked away,"Well I don't know, just thinking about stuff. You guys were just so young when you did it, do you have any regrets about tying the knot so soon?"

Alzack stared out at his wife and daughter, "I have no regrets. At the time I just didn't see a reason to wait. Mom nearly had a heart attack when I told her, she said people don't do that anymore, you're too young. Everyone kept telling us we were crazy and that we might change our minds, but I knew from the first time I kissed Bisca that she was the only one for me. That's kinda a strange feeling for a high school sophomore I know, even I'll admit that at first the idea kinda freaked me out. Still, I didn't want anyone else and I don't want anyone else now. All I saw in my future was her. She was my best friend, I wanted to live with her, start our life together. It seemed silly to wait for some preconceived notion of the right time you know."

Alzack took a sip of his beer and chuckled, "You know it's funny, you seemed like the last guy of our group who would want to settle down."

Natsu frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well for the longest time you didn't seem interested in girls at all, and then when you were, you like, weren't. You didn't take any of those relationships seriously, it was obvious they were one sided. I had you pegged for a commitment phobe."

Natsu shrugged, "Everyone kept insisting I had to date someone and setting me up with people, not my fault I wasn't feeling it."

Alzack pointed his bottle towards Natsu,"Yea, but it didn't even seem to matter to you, like you weren't even looking. You were so independent and comfortable in it. It's a good thing, but it's just so strange to see you making so many compromises and actually excited to share so many parts of your life with someone. I had you pegged as a lone wolf."

"Hmm, I guess so," Natsu had to admit, Alzack was right. It wasn't that he couldn't recognize that women were attractive, he just hadn't found one that seemed like they were worth the effort. All his previous relationships had been instigated by someone else and he had been going through the motions, trying to do what everyone expected of him. Natsu had never met anyone who made him feel like Lucy.

"Obviously that's changed, we haven't seen you here in like eight months. You used to be here every other weekend," Alzack laughed.

"Well you guys are good cooks," Natsu admitted with a grin.

"You going to ask her?" Alzack motioned with his bottle towards the blond running around with his wife.

"I don't know, maybe. I was thinking about it, but . . ."

Alzack raised a brow, "You aren't sure if she'll say yes?"

"It's just all happened so fast, I'm not sure she feels as strongly as I do," Natsu sighed. He was stopped from saying anything else because Lucy came at him at a full sprint. She jumped into his lap. "Oof, Lucy, watch the landing!" he complained.

She gave him a big grin, "Look I brought you fireflies!" She opened her cupped hands in front of his face, letting loose twenty of the glowing bugs. She watched as the rose to the sky, her smile wide and excited; Natsu just watched her face. When they disappeared she looked back down at him, "Weren't they pretty?"

He smiled back at her, "Yea Luce, they were."


	25. Strolling to New Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise party for Levy gives renewed excitement, a new experience for Yukino brings new excitement, and a familiar experience for Cana is something she can't fight

* * *

 

"Thanks so much for giving me a ride Lu!" Levy lowered herself into Lucy's car with a groan. "I can barely fit behind my steering wheel anymore!"

"Those babies are really growing fast," Lucy smiled. She pulled into traffic as Levy struggled to get the seat belt comfortably over her belly. "I still can't believe you guys are going to have two! Are you excited?"

"We are now. Honestly I was really freaked out at first, we've just been planning everything for one up until now. I got a bunch of books on having multiples and that's all I do anymore. I've read so much about handling twins that I don't think I want to look at another baby book again! I feel much more prepared now though. We're gonna need double everything Lu! That's two car seats, two swings, two bouncer seats, twice the clothes, twice the diapers . . ." Levy sighed, "At least now I know why I am so big! I really thought it was just the overeating, but you know, I still couldn't stop it."

Lucy giggled and gave her friend a nod, "This is the one time in your life where no one is going to question the amount you're eating, you should enjoy it."

"Trust me I am," Levy winked. "I feel much better now that we have some sort of plan. Things are going to be a little tight for a bit and I'm probably going to have to rely on Lakia at the store more than I wanted to." Levy turned to her friend quickly and smiled real big, "Oh! My mom said she's going to hang out for a while and help us, isn't that wonderful! I hate to make her put off her next trip, but I need her so bad right now."

"That's fantastic!" Lucy looked over at Levy when she stopped at a light. "Never hesitate to ask all of us you know, I'm sure everyone will be more than happy to help you guys."

Levy leaned over on Lucy's shoulder, "I know, I'm so lucky to have everyone." She sat up straight and looked out the window, "It's so nice of Juvia to have this little luncheon for Erza, although, is it bad that I'm already tired of this wedding? She has so many events! Maybe it's just because I'm preggo and cranky."

Lucy laughed, "Don't worry Levy. I'm pretty sure you are going to like this one!"

* * *

Yukino chewed on her lip and stared at her phone. To text not to text. It had been over two weeks now since Sting and Rogue had come by. The first weekend she caught a stomach flu. So she not only wasn't able to meet up with them, she also had to spend her entire weekend in a fetal position in the bathroom floor. She was so unlucky. Then the next weekend, Sting had to go out of town for a trip he had planned months ago with his friends. Yukino was pretty sure he had been telling the truth, he wouldn't blow her off just because she was sick the first weekend, right?

She looked at his last text, "lmk if ur free nxt wknd!" Yukino really didn't like that he had made continuing contact her job, it would be so much easier if he just messaged first! She had already typed in a few lines, "what are you up to?", "do you want to get together tonight?", and a simple "hey." They had all been deleted. She was terrible at texting, blame it on overprotective parents who wouldn't let her have a phone. Even Lucy teased her about her use of proper punctuation and spelling. He was going to think she was so lame!

She had to write something if she wanted to see him again. She had already put it off long enough. Now it was Saturday, and though it was just the start of her time off, his weekend was already in full swing. He probably already had plans, maybe he wouldn't even be able to go anywhere anyway. He hadn't texted her anything since that last message over a week ago. Did that mean he had lost interest?

Yukino realized she was being silly, it had only been two weeks since she had seen him last. If he was so fickle that he would lose interest in that time, he wasn't worth her time. She quickly typed "hi :)" and hit send before she could over think it, immediately regretting the decision. Was that too short? Was the smiley too much? Just as she was about to throw her phone in despair, there was the ping of a message back, "Hey!"

For a while she stared at it in disbelief that he just wrote right back. That was a good sign right? Unfortunately yet again, he had made it her turn to initiate contact. What should she type next? "What are you up to?" no, that wouldn't be right, "Are you free tonight?" was that too forward? This should not be hard! Normal people texted each other all the time without hyperventilating or breaking out in cold sweats.

She set the phone down and went about cleaning her workspace. Lucy had left early for the day because she had a party to go to, and all the prep for Tuesday was already finished. Sometimes these summer days really crawled by, especially when she was all alone. She had to text back! Yukino grabbed the phone just as it pinged with another message, "concert 2nite w/ orga n rogue wanna come?"

"Yes!" she yelled at no one, bouncing in place. Yukino took a moment to compose herself, and make sure she was, in fact, alone in the bakery, before responding. She had never been to a concert that wasn't classical before. At least that's what she assumed they were doing, she couldn't really see those three going to an orchestra's rendition of Tchaikovsky on a Saturday night. She breathed out deeply and typed, "Sure sounds like fun!"

"U knw Twilight Ogre?"

Yukino wrinkled her nose and frowned, it wasn't familiar at all. "I've never been there," she typed back.

"Want 2 ride w/ us?" That was even better! Now she wouldn't have to worry about showing up alone and having to awkwardly find them. Yukino didn't have anyone to bring with her. She wished she had more close friends, but at the moment she just had Lucy. Her work at the old bakery had taken up so much time that she wasn't able to get out much.

"Yes pls!" she texted back. Look she abbreviated! She was getting better at this, maybe.

"Cool! snd address will swing by 8."

Yukino texted back her address and sat for a while with a stupid smile on her face. A night with cute boys and music, this would be so much fun! Yukino was so glad her sister was performing tonight. Sometimes living with her sister was worse than living with her mom. She probably wouldn't approve of Yukino going to a concert at a club with three guys she barely knew. This way, she could just run home, after closing up at five, and get ready without having to explain herself to anyone. Oh dear, what would she wear? Yukino picked back up her phone, she had to get Lucy's advice.

* * *

"When are you going to open a buffet up in here?" Natsu asked as he sat at Macao's bar.

Macao chuckled, "What? So you can come eat us out of house and home? No way Natsu, that's not our style."

"Awww, but I just wanna eat a little bit of everything!" Natsu complained, falling onto the bar counter.

Macao called out to his son who was walking the floor, "Hey Romeo! Go tell the chef we need a Natsu platter!" Romeo gave his father a grin and a nod, disappearing into the kitchens.

"You named something after me?" Natsu sat up and happily accepted the glass of water Macao slid his way.

"Nah, that's just what we nicknamed your ridiculously huge usual order," Macao gave him a wink. "I'll even give you ten percent off today, since you're all on your lonesome and you look pathetic."

Natsu frowned, "Tightwad old man, I know that's a coupon you have out right now."

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth Natsu," Macao laughed. "Where's your other half today?"

"The girls are having a baby shower for Levy, no boys allowed. It's cool though, I stole some of the cookies before she wrapped up the platter she was taking."

Macao snorted, "I bet you did."

"Yea, she wasn't exactly happy about it but I was late to get to work with Gajeel! I needed energy! He went to go workout over his lunch, the stress of everything is really winding him up. I needed a break from Gajeel so I came here, he's really winding me up! Also I wanted to talk to you," Natsu leaned forward. "Can I ask you a serious question?"

"I suppose, can't promise I'll have an answer though," Macao said as he leaned back against the back of the bar.

"This might seem out of nowhere, but what made you decide to marry Romeo's mom?"

"Asking the hard stuff today Natsu?" he frowned. "Well you know, I didn't exactly get a happily ever after. I'm not sure I'm the one you should be talking to about this kinda stuff."

Natsu tilted his head, "Just because it didn't turn out perfect, doesn't make your experience not mean anything."

Macao tugged at his collar, "Hmmm, well looking back now, it was a decision of desperation. I felt like I was losing her and I didn't want to let her go. So I did the best thing possible for a failing relationship, went and bought the biggest ring I could afford and asked her on one knee. I think she accepted because she thought it was a sign that I was putting her first. She was always complaining that I worked too much, or that I didn't pay her enough attention."

"Do you regret asking? I mean, if somehow you could go back in time, would you change your decision?"

"Well . . . no . . . I mean, I got Romeo out of the deal. I might be biased, but I think he's pretty awesome. Plus, we did have a few really good years in the beginning, I really did love her. Hell, I probably still do, even now when I don't know where she is anymore. Unfortunately we just didn't quite work, like two puzzle pieces that fit together but have the wrong patterns on the top. We kept trying to pretend we were compatible when we weren't. She needed someone who could put her first, and come home every night. I needed someone who could love this place as much as I did, and respect my dedication and passion for it. In the end she folded before I did, she just couldn't pretend anymore." Macao sighed deeply and leaned forward unhappily on the bar.

"I'm sorry man, I shouldn't be asking you these things. I didn't mean to ruin your day." Natsu rubbed his chin and stared hard at the water in his glass.

"Nah, I'm fine. Really at this point I'm over it . . .mostly." He moved to catch Natsu's eye, pointing a finger in his face. "Now don't you go thinking that you and Lucy are anything like that. My old lady never looked at me the way Lucy looks at you. I might be a glutton for punishment when it comes to women, but I still know a woman in love when I see it."

"You really think so?" Natsu asked with a grin.

Macao relaxed and smiled back, "Yea, I really do."

* * *

Levy opened the door and was surprised to see pink and blue balloons everywhere. She furrowed her brow, "But these aren't Erza's colors . . ." Then her mouth dropped open when she came far enough into the house to get a full view of the living room. It was currently packed with her friends and a mountain of presents. In front of it all was the extremely nice double stroller she had been dreaming about all last week but thought she would never be able to afford.

"Surprise!" they all shouted, large grins on their faces.

"Oh, you guys!" Levy started to cry.

"No, no, no! No tears sweet mama!" Cana came and gave her a big hug.

"I can't help it! It's the hormones," Levy sobbed, "and that stroller is so beautiful! Oh god, I'm excited about a stroller. Who am I anymore?"

Lucy laughed and hugged her from the other side, "Even I have to admit, that stroller looks pretty awesome!"

Cana leapt in it, "Yea look it even fits my ass, and it corners like a dream! We've been playing with it the whole time we were waiting on you guys!"

Juvia came over and gave her a hug as well, "Juvia is so glad Levy likes the stroller!"

"But it's too much! I can't believe you got it!" Levy cried into her friend's shoulder.

Juvia waved her off, "Juvia is so excited to spoil the babies. Levy wouldn't be able to stop me, it's my pleasure." Juvia motioned to the middle of the room, the coffee table was stacked to the brim with children's books. Juvia smiled shyly, "Juvia also had everyone write a message in a book for Levy and Gajeel's little foxes! Juvia thought Levy would approve."

"Oh Juvia! That's perfect!" Levy wiped her cheeks and walked towards the table picking up a board book of Goodnight Moon and turning the first page to read a message from Makarov.

Cana clambered out of the stroller and turned to face all the women in the living room, "Alright ladies! Everyone make sure to get a mimosa, the party is just starting! Guest of honor has arrived and it's time for the games to begin! Who's first for cornhole?"

"Cornhole?" Levy asked.

"Oh Levy, look what I made! It's amazing!" Cana grabbed her by the arm and showed her the setup on the back porch.

Levy squinted her eyes in disbelief at what she was seeing, "Are those pink and blue, sperm shaped beanbags?"

Cana jumped in excitement! "Yes! Aren't they awesome? I wanted to make the boards look like giant vaginas, but Lucy and Juvia vetoed that, the party poopers."

Levy laughed, "Cana, you're too much!"

Cana winked, "Every kid needs at least one crazy aunt right? Just working on filling my role!"

* * *

Gajeel yawned as he kicked his boots off at the door. It had been another long day. He was working on putting a multilevel deck on the back of a house. Gajeel was tired from the labor and from Natsu trying to be cheery, he needed a shower and a bed. He headed over to the living room to start shutting off the lights and stopped when he heard humming coming from the other side of the house. Gajeel turned and followed the sound, a small smile forming on his lips. Levy was so rarely awake when he got home this late, this felt like a treat.

He found her in the future nursery, happily alphabetizing the book shelf. She had the changing table set up with diapers, the beds made up with their sheets. It was a peaceful sight. When Juvia had warned him that a lot of stuff would be coming home, he had expected chaos, but clearly Levy had already worked hard to make sure everything had it's place.

She turned to him and smiled, "Hey love, look at all these books! Aren't they great?"

He came up behind her and wrapped her in a big hug, putting his hands on her extremely large belly and resting his chin on her head. "Ahh, you're gonna make these kids nerds before they even have a chance!" he teased.

"Well, I can't exactly give babies blowtorches and iron rods," she said, relaxing into his hold.

Gajeel grinned, "Says who? Redfoxes have to be tough. We should give them chainsaws right out of the womb, gihihi."

"Gajeel!" Levy turned and furrowed her brow in pretend anger. "No chainsaws! Juvia did get them both something very you though." She freed herself from his hold and went to pick up the box on the table. She turned to open it, revealing two stainless steel baby rattles.

Gajeel nodded in approval, "Good, we gotta get these kids lifting weights as soon as possible."

Levy laughed, "No silly, they are baby rattles!"

He smirked and picked one up, shaking it to hear the gentle ding. "Those are pretty cool."

She set down the box, "Oh, and I have to show you what Juvia gave us!" She waddled out of the room as fast as she could, then came running back in with the double stroller, "Isn't it beautiful?"

Gajeel set the rattle in the box and walked over to get a better look at it. "I never thought I'd be saying this about a stroller, but this thing is pretty slick looking."

"Yea, isn't it! I'm so excited! And mom got us the carseats we need, Lucy helped me install them in the car. I put all the diapers into the diaper stacker and the clothes are all washed and put away. I even packed my hospital bag!" Levy nearly hopped in excitement.

Gajeel felt a twist in his gut, he was so worried about her. What if something went wrong with the babies and they came early? What if something happened to Levy when she was giving birth? She was so tiny and yet she was carrying two. It killed him not being able to take some of the burden. Should she be nesting yet? Was it a sign they would be coming soon? "Isn't it a little early to be making all these preparations?"

"No, not really. There's a chance I won't be able to do much of anything soon, it was already pretty hard to bend over to put the baby blankets in the bottom drawer!" she chuckled. "The doctor might end up putting me on bed-rest too which would mean I couldn't do any of this. Plus you know, big chance they could come early, twins usually do. We've only got like six weeks left until I'm thirty-eight weeks and most come before that!"

He scratched the back of his head, "I know, this just makes it so much more real."

Levy gave him a sweet smile and wrapped her tiny arms around him as far as they could go with her large belly in the way. "Isn't it crazy? I can't believe they are going to be here so soon! Part of me can't wait, the other part of me is terrified!" She pulled her head back and looked up at him. "Umm Gajeel? Can we start sleeping down in the guest room for a bit?"

"Sure Shorty, whatever you want," he pushed her hair behind her ear so he could see her face. "Tomorrow's my day off so we can move what you need downstairs."

She sighed, "That will be great. Lily follows me every time I hobble up there and I'm worried it's going to turn into that scene from Indiana Jones. You can guess who's the giant boulder."

Gajeel grinned, "Gihihi, now don't go crushing my cat, I happen to like him. Poor guy doesn't know how dangerous it is to hang around you these days."

"I know! I'm so big now that if I fell on him he'd go splat," Levy complained.

"Nah, you ain't that big shrimp," Gajeel grinned, then swiftly lifted her into his arms.

"Gajeel! You're going to hurt your back," Levy protested.

Gajeel walked in the direction of the living room, "Like hell I will! I'm a RedFox, we're strong. We lift weights right out of the womb." Her laugh was music to his ears.

* * *

When Yukino hopped in the backseat next to him, Sting was so excited he couldn't sit still. His knee bounced awkwardly to the music Orga played on the radio while he listened to Rogue be able to ask her normal questions about her day. He wished he could add more than an "awesome" or a head nod. He just kept over thinking everything he was going to say, and by the time he could interject, the conversation had moved on. He had to get his head right, this wasn't usual for him.

Sting wished he had gone into the bakery the first time he had passed it after the wedding, or that he had just asked for her number when they had been working with her. Now, half a year had passed of him watching her through the window, and she no longer felt real. Sting had built Yukino up so much that it felt like trying to talk to a celebrity. He envied Rogue and Orga's nonchalance. Maybe a drink at the club would help relax him so he could be a normal human being again.

When they got there, the line outside moved quickly, though the bouncer didn't look at anyone's ID except for Sting's. Bastard even looked disappointed when he saw it was real. The inside of the building was dark, packed, and loud; the opening act's set already in full swing. He had come here with his friends many times, this was the usual; thumping base, random flashes of light, cramped quarters, the smell of booze mingled with perfume and sweat. Normally it wouldn't be a problem to lose his friends in the crowd, just circle around, they would show up eventually.

Tonight though, he couldn't lose her, he wanted to keep Yukino in sight. The guys plowed on ahead, trying to get a drink at the bar before the main event began, he looked back at her and Yukino gave him a wide grin, she seemed just as caught up in the energy as he did. A few more steps forward and he felt a tug on his shirt. He looked back to see Yukino struggling to keep up. He grabbed her hand and was surprised at how such a simple touch could have such an affect on him. Sting was grateful for the noise and the heat of the place, it hid his weighted breaths and the flush creeping up his cheeks. He pulled her forward so that she was positioned ahead of him, motioning for her to follow his friends, but he didn't let go of her hand. She gave him a grateful smile and pushed onward. The whole way to the bar he felt like he couldn't see anyone else, he just watched the girl in front of him as if she were a dream about to float away, disbelieving her hand was really in his.

* * *

Natsu was so happy to be home. He and Gajeel had been determined to have Sunday off so they had worked hard to finish the deck. Natsu hoped it had been worth it, now it was almost dark out, Lucy had been home for hours. She really needed to learn to swing a hammer. The day would be much more pleasant if he had to look at her butt crack instead of Gajeel's.

He quietly shut the door and slipped off his boots. Natsu knew exactly where she would be, and he hated to waste a chance to make her jump. He crept through the house towards the office, where he found her sitting at the desk, writing her novel. Writing might not be the right way to describe it. The computer was on in front of her, but instead of actually typing, she was staring at the wall, making strange expressions, and moving her hands in imaginary conversation. Happy watched her from his perch on her bookshelf, tail twitching, apparently just as amused as Natsu was by her strange behavior.

Natsu restrained the urge to laugh out loud and tip toed behind her. She was so in her own little world that she didn't notice him, even when he was right behind her. Quickly, he placed his hands on her shoulder and loudly whispered, "Hey Lucy!" in her ear.

Lucy's eyes opened wide and she jumped in her seat, grabbing her chest and shrieking. When she came back down to earth, Lucy scolded "Natsu! You jerk! You scared me!" She scowled and pushed him out of her space.

Natsu double over in laughter, "Oh man, that never gets old!"

Lucy smiled and sighed, "You are such an overgrown toddler. Are you hungry? I can put something together for you if you like." She stood to head towards the kitchen.

Natsu dragged her in his arms, "Yea, I'm hungry, hungry for Lucy." He placed a hand behind her back and pulled her tight up against him, kissing her firmly and nipping her lip.

Lucy wrinkled her nose, "Natsu, you smell pretty bad right now."

"I do not!" Natsu feigned offense. "That's the smell of hard work and manliness!"

Lucy snorted, then grabbed him by the hand and pulled him towards the kitchen, "Now you sound like Elfman. Come on, I'll make you something for dinner while you hop in the shower."

"I don't complain when you come home smelling like butter!"

Lucy giggled, "That's because you like the smell of butter. I have to shower just to get you to leave me alone!"

"Yea . . . that is a good smell," Natsu hummed.

Lucy took him by surprise by shoving him into the bathroom. "Get clean."

"Okay, okay, I'm going." Natsu went to turn on the water. "Want to go see a movie or something tonight? I don't have to work tomorrow."

He heard Lucy pull out a plate and something from the refrigerator. "Can we just stay here tonight? I promised Yukino I'd be available in case she needs to be rescued."

"Rescued? What does she need to be rescued from?" Natsu removed his shirt.

She made loud noises, digging through the pots, "She's going to a concert with that Sting guy and his friends."

Natsu laughed as he undid his belt and dropped his jeans, "She needs rescue from Sting? Maybe we should just go to the concert. I could keep him on his best behavior."

"No Natsu! That would be so embarrassing. She doesn't need a dad! Besides I've been to that place before, it's so crowded and smelly, and guys keep trying to put their hand on my butt. No thanks."

"I keep trying to put my hand on your butt too, you need to be better at sharing Lucy." Finally free from all of his clothes Natsu jumped out of the bathroom, "One last chance before I wash all this good stuff away!"

She just sighed and shook her head. Lucy pointed to the bathroom behind him, "Get in that shower now or no more butt touching . . . ever."

Natsu slumped, "See! So stingy!"

Lucy turned back to the oven, turning the burner on under her frying pan. "Natsu . . ." she said in warning.

Natsu grinned at her back, "I'm going, I'm going." He walked back into the bathroom and stepped into the shower, "but when I finish I get to touch your butt all I want!" Her response was just another snort.

* * *

The band was magnificent! Their energy was pouring through the crowd causing bodies to bounce and move, entranced by the sounds of the drums and guitars. Yukino loved it! It was loud and claustrophobic, and the smell was not exactly pleasant. Her parents would have hated it but she couldn't stop smiling. The music and the beer were making her feel more relaxed and free than she had been in a long time.

Her one regret was, with all the noise, she couldn't get a word in with Sting. She had tried a couple times, but it had just ended up in a confusing back and forth version of the game telephone. There was no understanding anyone with the music this loud. So Yukino had given up, letting herself dance and enjoy the band. Her time with Sting would have to wait.

A couple guys who had had too much to drink began wildly flinging their arms around, dancing like madmen in the area just in front of her. They were hitting everyone around them, fists flailing like windmills. One came in her direction, surprising her. She held up her arms to block the hit but was saved last minute by the pull of two hands firmly on her waist. She looked up to Sting's smile and wink. He tucked her in close to him as Orga stepped forward to kindly, or maybe from his expression not so kindly, tell the maniacs to leave.

The ruckus calmed when a bouncer headed in their direction, causing the men to flee, but Sting didn't push her away. She felt his hesitation, his hands began to lift from her sides and he held his breath tight in his chest. For a split second Yukino thought he would fully let go, but then he breathed out deeply and wrapped his arms more firmly around her, pulling her into a hug. Sting's breaths felt irregular and short as if he was waiting for her protest, but she wanted to be there. It felt safe and warm, and his touch was exciting and new; so she leaned back into him to communicate she welcomed his hold. He relaxed and began to sway with the beat of the music, his breath warm behind her ear. Her heart raced and she couldn't wipe the smile from her face, she was giddy from the sensory overload. If this was what it felt like to be hugged by him, what would a kiss feel like?

* * *

Cana watched the last of the drunks hobble out the front door with a relieved smile on her face. Bacchus locking the door was the best thing she had seen in a long time. She was tired, it had been a long day. All she wanted was to go home, take a long bath with a glass of wine, and sleep for all of tomorrow.

"Stay and have a drink with me Cana?" Bacchus asked.

"Nah, there's a bathtub with my name on it back at home."

Bacchus leaned over the front of the bar to look her in the eye, "That tub could have my name on it too."

Cana snickered, "I think I'll pass."

Bacchus grabbed his chest, "You wound me babe!" He gave her a wink, "Keep turning me down and I'm going to start taking it personally."

"I told you when you started, working here is a death sentence for our old arrangement." With a grin she went about cleaning up what was left on the bar.

"But I never thought you would hold out this long!" He backed away from the bar with his arms outstretched, "How can you ignore this wild soul?"

Cana raised a brow, "How about you stop with the pick ups and actually start picking up?"

"You work too much, you know that? When's the last time you had any fun?" Bacchus frowned. Despite his words he started working at putting chairs on the tables. "I never see you have anyone waiting around for you after we close. You got someone I don't know about meeting you at home?"

"Nosy," Cana scoffed. "For your information, I don't."

"What?" he turned to her in surprise, "You can't be serious."

"I don't need a man to take care of my needs," Cana said with a wicked grin.

Bacchus grabbed his head in anguish, "Cana! You can't say that kind of stuff and not at least invite me to come watch."

Cana made a confused face, "But I thought I just did."

"Cold, woman, you are cold," Bacchus frowned.

"Yet you keep coming back for more frostbite," Cana crossed her arms and grinned.

Bacchus came back over and leaned across the bar in her direction, "Don't you miss me at all though?"

"Miss you? I see you every night!"

"You know what I mean."

Cana stepped forward, leaning in his direction. "Why do you keep trying so hard? You've never worked like this for something in all the time I've known you."

He searched her eyes, leaning a little bit closer, "Well you've never made me."

"You're making it very hard for me to stay true to my word," Cana frowned.

Bacchus chuckled as he ran a thumb along her jawline, "That's kinda the point. You should just give in Cana, when I know what I want I don't give up. I'm just stubborn like that."

She smiled, "You're a pain in the ass."

"I know," he leaned in further to close the distance, pressing his lips on hers. Cana just grabbed the sides of his head to pull him closer. She was too tired tonight to care about being good.

Bacchus put a fist in the air and whooped in excitement. He leapt over the counter so that he was standing right next to her, biting his lip and giving a predatory look. "I hope you aren't just toying with me Cana."

"Oh, I definitely am, but I think you'll enjoy the way I play with my toys." Cana grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him into a scorching kiss. She released him and enjoyed his dazed expression. "I don't play here though Bacchus. I'm going to go home and change into something more . . .comfortable. Do you think you can handle closing up, and get home to me before I fall asleep?"

He grinned at her, "Does a bear shit in the woods?"

"Romantic, as usual," Cana chuckled. She gave him a wink, backing towards the office where she had left her purse. "This place had better be in tip top shape tomorrow, no cheating."

He smirked, "Your ass better be in tip top shape when I get there. You know there's no way I'd let this chance pass me by."

She turned to give him a wink, "Oh, I know." As if she could fall asleep now when her body hummed with excitement. She hoped Bacchus brought his A-game, she was going to put him to work.


	26. Making Salsa Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yukino's sister steals her phone, Juvia learns about Gray's past in an unexpected way, Mira and Laxus have a big argument

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a little longer, got sick this week! Also had to split this one in half it just kept growing! Next part should be up in the next few days ;)

* * *

 

Yukino picked up her phone and looked at it for the third time that evening. She frowned, still no texts. Things had been going pretty well with Sting, she had spent most of her time off the last few weekends hanging out with him and his friends. They had gone to the movies, hung out to some bars, and even went to another concert, but every time it was as a group. She still hadn't spent any time one on one with Sting yet, and every night ended with an awkward hug and a wave. Still no kiss. Yukino checked her phone again, why wasn't he asking her to come hang out tonight? Could he be losing interest?

"Just text him already," her sister groaned. "You're distracting me from the movie, it's annoying."

Yukino furrowed her brow, "What do you mean, text who?"

Sorano rolled her eyes, "I'm assuming the guy who has been awkwardly dropping you off at the front step the last few weeks."

Yukino turned to her sister in shock, "Have you been spying on me? I thought you weren't home!"

Sorano tssked, "As if I would watch you! I was just was reviewing my security footage."

"You have security cameras?" Yukino's mouth dropped.

"Of course I do. I'm a star Yukino, I have to protect myself from stalkers." Sorano wrinkled her nose, "And apparently it's the only way I'll get to know what's going on with my little sister."

Yukino frowned, "I'm sorry, I just thought you wouldn't approve."

"Well I certainly didn't say that I approved, although I suppose at this point it's too late to stop you. Not that it matters, since you're such a shrinking violet you will probably just let this one drift away," Sorano smirked.

"Shut up! I am not!" Yukino punched her sister gently in the arm. Then she frowned and looked at her phone again, "It's just that he usually suggests we hang out by this time."

Sorano raised a brow, "Does he know you want to hang out?"

"Well I would think so, we've hung out every other weekend . . ."

Her sister laughed, "So you're assuming he knows that you want to hang out, but you haven't already said it?"

"I guess so," Yukino looked down at her phone again. "What are you getting at?"

Sorano sat up straighter, "Look Yukino, I know I don't seem like the best person to give advice on this because long term relationships aren't really my thing, but let me tell you this. Men. Are. Dense. If you don't specifically express your expectations, he's not going to know what you want. Just text him and say you want to hang out."

Yukino's eyes widened in horror, "I can't do that! What if he doesn't want to hang? What if it makes me look too desperate?"

"That's stupid! If he can't hang out, he will tell you so, and you can move on with your life for the night. Why would admitting you want to hang out make you look desperate? If he's the type to get scared off by something like that, he is definitely not worth your time."

Yukino was unconvinced, "Do you think so?"

Sorano sighed and put a supportive hand on her sister's shoulder, "Look, I'm pretty sure he likes you, he should want to hear that you want to spend time with him, that's a good thing to hear. Wouldn't you want to hear that he wants to spend time with you?"

"Yea . . ." Yukino stared at her phone again. Sorano gave a groan of frustration, used the remote to pause the movie, and snatched Yukino's phone away from her. Yukino tried to grab it back, but her sister was too fast, quickly springing from the couch and running away. "What are you doing?" Yukino exclaimed as she chased after her.

Sorano began quickly typing with her thumbs, "Just moving things along, I don't have time for this. And . . .send."

Yukino's mouth dropped open in disbelief, "Oh my god, you didn't! Sorano what did you type?"

Her sister smiled, "Just 'I want to see you, what are you doing?'" Yukino fell to the ground with a cry. "Oh Yuki, don't be so dramatic. It's not the end of the world." The phone in her hand buzzed. Sorano wiggled her eyebrows at her little sister, "Already writing back I see, eager beaver indeed." Sorano looked at the phone and frowned, "Aww, he says he has to get some work done tonight. Oh well, at least he's employed." The phone buzzed again and Sorano's frown turned up, "Oh! You are welcome to come keep him company!" She tossed the phone next to her surprised little sister. "See was that so hard? Now get out of here, I want to finish this movie in peace."

Yukino pulled the phone over to her, scrolling through the new messages in disbelief. "What if he just said that to be nice?"

Sorano made a sound of disgust as she climbed back on the couch, "That would be weird, why would he do that? If he didn't want you there he would have said let's make plans for another night. Seriously Yukino, go change into something that doesn't look like pajamas and get out of my hair. No more sighs during this movie or I'll lose my mind. The way you keep doubting yourself is driving me nuts." She turned back on the movie, waving in Yukino's direction as if to let her know she had been dismissed.

Yukino furrowed her brow staring at the text one more time. Then she stood and headed in the direction of her room, texting back, "Sounds great! Be right over! Should I grab something for us to eat?" She hoped her sister was right on this one.

* * *

Cana grabbed another piece of pizza and placed in on her plate, "You really need to come back to the apartments, I miss you! Also the woman who replaced you is a real bitch."

Lucy cocked her head and furrowed her brow, "Really why do you say that?"

"Well. . . I may have wandered in there one morning forgetting you weren't there anymore and slept on her couch. She kept screaming 'crazy lady' and hitting me with a pillow until I left. So rude," Cana wrinkled her nose.

"Well you were a stranger sleeping on her couch," Lucy laughed. "Wait, you used to come and sleep on my couch?"

Cana rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "No, I would never come hide in your apartment after you went to work when I wanted to escape the weirdo I brought back to my apartment. That would be super inappropriate."

"Cana!" Lucy exclaimed.

"To be fair your couch is very comfortable," Erza smiled and sipped her soda.

"Oh my god! You too? I can't believe you guys!" Lucy took a large bite of her pizza, frowning while she chewed.

"I needed a quick power nap after having to pull an all nighter and Cana had the key. My house wasn't convenient at the time. Let's be honest Lucy, you basically weren't living there for months before you moved out."

"Yea, you guys have been playing house since like last spring, somebody had to make use of that great apartment of yours." Cana took a huge bite and spoke with her mouth full, "If a place stays vacant you get bugs."

Erza gave a nod and struggled to contain a smile, "Yes, we were making sure your apartment stayed bug free, while enjoying your luxurious bed."

"I feel so violated," Lucy grimaced.

Cana's eyes grew wide, her smile mischievous, "Speaking of violated, how is it going with Natsu anyway? Think he's going to ask soon?"

"Cana! We haven't even been together a year yet! You need to stop saying things like that, you're going to freak him out," Lucy scolded.

Cana snorted, "Are you kidding me? Nothing freaks that guy out, except of course Erza's wrath."

"This is true," Erza gave another nod and took another bite of her pizza.

"Gray told me Natsu heard about you buying the dress and all he did was laugh," Cana grinned.

"He knows about the wedding dress!" Lucy yelled, drawing the attention of the entire pizza parlor. Her face turned bright red and she sank down into her both.

"Inside voices," Cana chastised.

"Really it would be good timing, you guys could get married next fall, and you could use all my notes! I have wonderful wedding planing notes!" Erza said with a fond smile.

"I can't believe he knows about the dress," Lucy grabbed her head, eyes wide with worry. She looked up at Cana's teasing smirk, "This is Mira's fault isn't it!"

"Well really it's Laxus' fault, but Mira definitely put all the pieces in order." Cana chuckled, "She's a sly fox that one."

Lucy sat back and thoughtfully tapped her chin, "Wait, I moved out of my apartment officially just two months ago. Who were you hiding from?"

Cana's smile disappeared, "No one."

"Cana! Did you take someone home from the bar! How could you not tell us?" Lucy leaned forward with a smile. "You can't hide it anymore, you have to fess up."

Erza leaned forward in excitement as well, "Yes! Who was it? How was it? Did you have to kick him out because it was so bad or so good? Did you wear protection? I hope so, some of those men at Mira's late at night look pretty dirty."

Cana wrinkled her brow, "Down sparky."

Erza blushed, "Sorry, Jellal's started classes again and they're all at night. I feel like I live by myself right now. I might be reading too many books again . . ."

Lucy laughed and patted Erza on the shoulder, "Don't worry, this semester will be over before you know it! But seriously Cana, who was it? I don't really need to know all that stuff Erza was asking."

Cana sat back with a sigh, "Bacchus."

"Bacchus? Like the other bartender?" Lucy squinted her eyes in confusion. "I thought you said he was a good lay but you weren't going to sleep with him again."

Cana covered her face, "I know! I wasn't, but he was looking really good and I've been going through this weird dry spell."

"So he was too good," Erza said, taking a bite of pizza.

"He's always too good! It should be illegal to be that good!" Cana groaned.

Erza shrugged, "Honestly, I'm sure in a few of the more rural counties it is."

"Well we had a really great night but in the morning I panicked. I woke up next to him and realized I was going to have to work with him that night! I told him I had to do some stupid wedding shit that morning," she turned to Erza, "no offense."

Erza raised a hand, waving her off, "None taken."

"So I ran over to your old apartment and passed out on the couch. That old woman must have had church or something, because she came home all dress up and madder than hell at me for sleeping there. I was just so overwhelmed, I didn't know what else to do." Cana slumped forward into her arms on the table, "It was such a relief when I got back and he wasn't there."

Lucy furrowed her brow in concern, "What happened when you went back to work?"

"He was fine, he acted normal. It was just like another regular night," Cana said.

"That's good right?" asked Erza.

"It should be, but no! It drove me crazy, like why isn't he saying something? Was he mad I left? Does he want to do it again? Does he think we're like an item right now? For the first week he even calmed down on the flirting a bit, I didn't know how to take it." Cana frowned, "Now he's started again and I still don't know how to take it. I just can't figure out what I want here!"

"I wish I had different advice here, but I think you need to talk to him about this," Lucy said, giving Cana a comforting rub on the back.

"Argh, that's the last thing I want to do!" Cana cried.

"Sometimes the right thing is the hardest," Erza said with a frown. Then she grinned, "You know what always cheers me up? We should get some cake!" She looked down the aisle to find the waiter, ignoring Cana's groan.

* * *

Juvia was just finishing up her paella when the band started setting up near the dance floor. She was so glad she had taken up her coworker's recommendation for Cuban, it was so lively here. The atmosphere was warm and fun, with oranges and yellows, and energetic music. It was basically the opposite of what Gray would pick, but she noticed he seemed happy, his toes tapping to the music.

Gray had really changed over the last few months. He now kissed her in greeting and didn't seem as uncomfortable accepting hugs or with holding her hand. Their intimate moments were lasting longer and he occasionally spent the night, although all they did was sleep. He even no longer fliched away from her acts of adoration! Juvia was really enjoying seeing her darling come out of his shell.

"Some live music huh?" Gray watched the band members all take their seat.

"Yes Gray-sama, won't it be lovely? My coworker said that there was a lot of dancing here," Juvia hesitated. She really wanted to dance, but would Gray go for it? Would he be willing? He was always telling her she was too accommodating and that she should to let him know what she wanted. It was worth a try. "Gray-sama? Will you dance with Juvia? I mean, we don't have to, Juvia was just thinking it might be fun."

Gray looked at her in surprise, then over at the band that had taken their places and started to play. "Uhh, well," he looked back at her and his face relaxed. "Sure Juvia, if you want, we can dance for a bit."

* * *

Mira came up behind Laxus and hugged him round the shoulders. He had been hanging out in her office, waiting for her to finish rounding the restaurant to check on her customers. He turned his face to her and gave her a smile and a kiss. Mira couldn't get enough of that.

She wandered over to pick up a paper that had fallen to the floor, "Hey hun, can you come help me tomorrow morning?"

Laxus turned back to looking at his phone, "Nah, I'm gonna be out of town for a few days."

That was news to her, Mira cocked her head in confusion, "You are? Doing what?"

Still not looking at her, he said, "Going with Freed to his parent's lake house for a few days, do some fishing."

He couldn't be serious, "When were you going to tell me?"

Laxus shrugged, "I'm telling you now, I figured you would have to work, so you wouldn't want to go."

"Laxus it's Saturday, you're leaving tomorrow! I can't believe now is when you decide to tell me! How long have you known?" Mira stormed over next to him, eyes wide with anger.

Laxus frowned, his speech slowed as if he was starting to sense her rage, "Two weeks ago."

Mira waved her hands wildly, "Why wouldn't you tell me then? Did you not think of me at all?"

Laxus raised a brow and leaned back in his seat."What the hell Mira? I told you I figured you wouldn't be able to go. Am I not allowed to spend time with my friends or something?"

"What? Please tell me that is not what you are getting out of this!" When Laxus just stared at her blankly, Mira pulled a hand down her face in frustration, "How are you such an idiot? Of course I don't care if you spend time with your friends! What bothers me is that you didn't even think it was worth the effort to tell me! I'm your girlfriend! Shouldn't I know when you are going out of town, especially when it's planned ahead of time?"

Laxus sighed, "Look Mira, really, I'm sorry for not inviting you but it's kinda Freed's . . ."

"Stop!" Mira held a hand up in his face, "Stop talking right now! That is not what I'm saying! I'm not asking you to give a detailed schedule of your comings and goings, I just would like to know when you're going to be gone for a few days. I don't give a shit that I'm not invited. What kind of relationship is this if you are going out of town for a few days and you don't even bother to tell me? Were you just going to call me tomorrow morning and say hey, see ya Thursday? We are supposed to be together. I let you know my plans, don't I?"

Laxus rubbed the back of his neck, "Well . . .yea . . ."

Mira crossed her arms, "And I'm going out on a limb here, but do Evergreen and Bixlow know that you and Freed are going?"

"Well Bixlow's coming too . . ."

"Just answer the question Laxus," Mira snapped.

He frowned, "Yea, they both know."

Mira breathed out deeply through her nose, "Do you get why I'm upset now?"

Laxus sat very still, staring at her as if waiting for the answer to magically appear. He then sighed and raised his brows, "I'm not supposed to go places without you unless I ask first?"

"You know what, leave," Mira was so angry she could feel her body trembling. "I just . . . I just can't look at you right now. I'm going to say something I regret. I'm so mad at you."

Laxus stood and looked down at her in confusion, "But I thought we were going to catch a movie after the dinner crowd left."

Mira breathed out deeply again and pushed him towards the door, "Nope, sorry, I guess I already had plans." She shoved him in the hall and slammed her office door.

He knocked on the door, "Come on Mira, don't be like this."

"Get out of here!" She shrieked, grabbing her mouth, shocked at her own response. She heard what sounded like his head gently bumping the other side of the door, but he didn't knock again. When she calmed down enough to open the door a minute later, he was gone.

* * *

Natsu had finally finished mowing Makarov's yard. He was so ready to go home and get a shower, but he accepted the beer and took a seat next to the tiny man. He knew he couldn't leave until he had given Makarov a few more minutes of his time.

Makarov looked over to Natsu, "Something bothering you? You've been quieter than usual today."

"Gramps, do you think it's too soon to ask Lucy to marry me?"

Makarov tilted his head, staring off in thought, "I don't know Natsu, I think you're the only one who can answer that. Do you feel ready to marry Lucy? Do you think she's ready for that kind of commitment too?"

Natsu scratched his head, "Well, yea, I think so. I mean I'm not sure about Lucy, I know she's the only person I want to be with though. It's just that it hasn't even been a year, it seems a lot faster than most people do it."

"Well my boy, you do a lot of things faster than most people. Also, I can't remember a time that you cared about how most people did anything!" Makarov laughed. "I just can't believe were having this conversation. It someone told me a year ago that you would be asking me this I would have said 'that brat? Never!"

Natsu snorted, "Jeez, no faith."

"If you want my opinion, if that girl will marry you, you marry her as soon as you can. You're not getting any better than that, she's way too good for you brat," Makarov said with a teasing glint in his eye.

Natsu leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes, "Sure Gramps."

"You gonna talk to her father?" Makarov asked.

"What like she's some piece of property he's handing over? That's weird, why would I do that?" Natsu wrinkled his nose.

Makarov chuckled, "No brat, it's just a sign of respect, it's a tradition thing. Don't you think a man like Mr. Heartfilia would care about that sort of thing?"

Natsu groaned, "Yea."

"And didn't you tell me that Lucy and her father have reconnected and are spending time together again?" Makarov continued.

Natsu ran a hand through his hair and frowned, "Yea . . ."

"So he's probably not going anywhere anytime soon is he?" Makarov asked.

"No, but it's going to be so awkward! I've never done anything with the guy without Lucy there." Natsu rested his face on his hand and frowned.

"Well, it's up to you, I didn't say you had to tell him you're going to ask her. Just think it would make the joining of the families go smoother."

"Ugh why are you so ancient? You would put this out-dated junk in my head."

"Watch your tongue brat!" Makarov yelled.

Natsu held up a finger with a grin, "I meant to say ancient and wise."

Makarov nodded his head, "That's more like it."

* * *

Gray was going to regret this, Juvia was going to learn his secret. He couldn't deny her though, she looked so excited and he was always making her do the things he wanted to do. It was so rare that she asked to do anything, it was always 'whatever you want Gray-sama.' Her making a choice for once was a pleasant change. If he turned her down today, who knows how long it would be until she worked up the courage to ask for something again.

He stood and held out his hand with a tight smile, watching the way her face lit up as he led her out to the floor, trying to ease his nerves. There were already a few couples out on the floor, twirling and smiling as they danced. Gray licked his lips and turned to grab Juvia's other hand, then his feet immediately fell into step as the band starting into a salsa rhythm.

Juvia's eyes widened in surprise when he spun her one way and then back to face him, "Gray-sama knows how to dance?"

Gray sighed, using another twist to stall. When she was back to facing him, he answered with an eye roll, "Yea . . . .the woman who adopted me before Makarov was really into it. Lyon and I did well . . .competitions and stuff."

Juvia wrinkled her nose in confusion, "Lyon-sama never said anything about dancing."

Gray chuckled, "Well it's kinda a sore subject for him. He stuck with it and was really good, but he tore an ACL in high school and never fully recovered. Ur's daughter still dances though, she's a back up dancer for some pop star now. Lyon would know, he keeps better track of her."

"Why doesn't Gray-sama dance anymore?"

"Well, I couldn't do it when I was bouncing around, and when I got to Makarov's everyone did forms of martial arts, since that's what Gramps was into, so I switched. I didn't want to be teased, I wanted to fit in. It wasn't too hard, practiced movements, reading your partner. Just with more improvised movement instead of choreographed. Natsu did find a picture of me from my time with Ur though, that's when the princess insults started."

"Well that's not very nice," Juvia said with a frown.

Gray grimaced, "Well, I was giving him a lot of shit about the color of his hair at the time, we weren't exactly the happiest of little kids back then."

Juvia smiled up at him, "You could have told Juvia. Juvia thinks it's very sexy. Who cares what Natsu thinks."

Gray chuckled, "Yea, he does dance like an oompa loompa. He looks ridiculous."

Juvia laughed and he spun her again, enjoying the way her hair floated around her face. He forgot how much fun this could be. The longer they danced, however, the more aware of her he became. Her graceful neck, her bright smile, her soft hips, and her muscular legs. Gray kept finding more excuses to move his hands along her body instead of holding her hands. His heart raced and he started to think that maybe taking things to another level might not be so bad. Maybe since Juvia had seen even this skeleton from his closet and accepted him, he could trust her enough to love her on that level. Maybe he was thinking these things because he was holding her this close, with that look of joy on her face, flushed from exertion, and he couldn't think of anything else.

* * *

When Laxus arrived at Freed's place, he found Freed and Bixlow on the back porch, messing with two of Freed's guitars. They both gave him a look of surprise, but Freed was the one to speak, "I didn't expect to see you tonight, weren't you seeing a movie with Mira?"

Laxus took a seat between them and frowned, "Nah, that ain't happening anymore."

Bixlow raised a brow, "Something happen with your baby?"

"I don't think she's my baby anymore," Laxus said, with a sigh.

Both of his friends stopped strumming and looked at him in disbelief. Freed set his guitar on the chair next to him, "What happened?"

"Well, I don't really know. She asked me if I could help her tomorrow, so I told her no 'cause we're going fishing. Then she got all huffy about me going out of town," Laxus ran a hand through his hair.

Freed tilted his head and squinted his eyes in confusion, "Wait, you didn't tell Mira we were going to my parent's place?"

Laxus sank deeper in his chair, "I did today, what's the big deal."

Freed put a hand to his head in disbelief, "But we decided this weeks ago! Don't you think she would want to know that you're not going to be around for a few days?"

Laxus rubbed his jaw, "Great, now you're getting mad at me too. Look I just didn't think about it!"

Bixlow went back to strumming nonsense on his guitar. "I'm confused, she broke up with you because you forgot to tell her you were going out of town? Seems a little harsh for Mira."

"Well you know, we had a big fight, and she told me to get the hell out, so it's done."

"You think it's over because you had a fight?" Freed smiled in confusion.

"Yea man, if every couple broke up as soon as they fought then no one would ever last longer than a few weeks . . ."Bixlow trailed off as he turned to regard Laxus with a cocked head.

Freed's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "How did we not know this? Do you really think a fight ends a relationship?"

Laxus fidgeted in his seat in discomfort, "Well doesn't it? Mom and pops had a huge fight and then the next day she was gone."

"Have you always been this way?" Bixlow asked.

"Yea, I don't want to put up with someone bitching at me all the time," Laxus said.

"Do you want it to be over with Mira after this?" Freed asked.

"No, of course I don't," Laxus crossed his arms. Mira was the best thing to ever happen to him. Sure she got mad on occasion, but the last time she had kicked him out like this it had been an end. When she screamed at him to leave like that it had really freaked him out, so he did what she asked and he left. "Mira's my world man."

"Then go apologize," Freed pointed to the door.

"What am I apologizing for? I already tried saying sorry, it just seemed to piss her off more!" Laxus slumped forward in defeat, he knew he'd be shit at this stuff.

"You're in a relationship now with a woman who cares about you. She should be a consideration in everything you do because it affects her too. Mira's not the type to care about not being included but she needs to know you're going to be gone so she can make other plans. I mean come on Laxus, you spend almost every night there. You didn't think that leaving would affect her in some way?"

"Yea, even I know this shit man," Bixlow teased.

"Well fuck, I didn't really think of it that way. I'm not used to telling anyone where I'm going," Laxus frowned. "Do you think she'd even listen to me at this point? She was really pissed off."

"People who care about each other are going to fight at least occasionally, especially you and Mira. She knows this. You guys have the hottest tempers I've ever seen," Freed chuckled.

"No doubt," Bixlow added with a grin.

"When you care about somebody, you care about what they do, if they do something that bothers or upsets you, you're going to have to tell them, bottling it up is just going to make it worse. Unfortunately, sometimes that's going to lead to an argument. What matters is how you grow and learn from it. Sometimes it means compromise, sometimes it means the person who it didn't matter to, gives in and makes the change. You can't be with someone if they aren't worth compromising for," Freed explained.

"Fuck, when did this turn into some after school special" Laxus leaned back grabbing his head, "I feel like an idiot, that sounds like common sense. Why am I such an ignorant little kid with this shit?"

"Well you didn't really have a very healthy example I guess," Freed gave Laxus a sad smile. "You're doing fine, if anybody knows how much you've changed already it's Mira. Just go talk to her."

"Don't worry man, that baby loves you. She'll forgive ya," Bixlow started strumming his guitar and humming 'She Loves You'.

Laxus sighed falling into his hands, "Well, shit, I guess it's off to Mira's." He pulled himself out of the chair.

Freed picked back up his guitar, "We'll see you in the morning, give Mira our love!" He seemed to notice Laxus' hesitation, "Seriously, just tell her you're sorry and try to actually keep her in the loop on what's going on. She knows you're still figuring this stuff out."

Laxus smiled grimly, "Yea, I don't know why she puts up with a loser like me." Then he left back through the house.


	27. Making Salsa Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of a Saturday night
> 
> Warning: NSFW content, marked with bold NSFW ;)

Gajeel opened the door to the sound of Levy reading out loud, "And arrows are no use against dragons. And they're not at all afraid of fire." He found her laying on her left side on the couch, rubbing her belly with one hand and holding a book in the other. Gajeel's cat Lily lay curled in a ball on the back of the couch. He lifted his head to lazily regard Gajeel but returned back to sleep without so much as a meow of hello.

"Whatcha doing there shrimp," Gajeel grinned, she really wasn't much of a shrimp anymore.

Levy looked up at him with a smile, "Reading to the babies."

Gajeel cocked his head, "For real?" His little lady was so strange sometimes.

Levy gave him an adorable huff of frustration, "Yes for real! We're reading the Chronicles of Narnia now, we're on book three. It's never too early to share the joy reading you know!"

"That's a pretty big book there, ya trying to get a workout in too?" Gajeel asked.

"Sure Gajeel, look how buff I am," she grinned and flexed a tiny bicep.

"Nice work Shorty," Gajeel chuckled and held up two bags, "I've got Chinese and I've got Italian. Which did you want now and which am I putting in the fridge for you to chow down on tomorrow."

Levy looked at the bags, then looked at him with big puppy dog eyes, "Is there any way you could get me a little bit of both. If it isn't too much trouble . . ."

"Those don't much go well together but sure, whatever my little mama wants," Gajeel gave her a quick kiss then headed into the kitchen. "I guess I should be happy you aren't trying to mix pickles in peanut butter ice cream or some shit like that."

"We still have ice cream though, right?" Levy called from her spot in the living room.

"Course," Gajeel chuckled as he started to pull out a plate. Then he thought of the Lo Mein mixing in with the spaghetti and meatballs. With a grimace he traded the plate for two bowls. He pulled a beer out of the fridge for himself, which he tucked in one of his armpits, grabbed the carton of General Tso's for himself, and, with Levy's bowls, balanced his way back to the living room like a circus act.

"Wow Gajeel, you could be a waiter for the stars with those incredible skills," Levy laughed, pulling herself to a seated position on the couch. She took one of the bowls and set it on the end table next to her, the other she set on her belly.

"You could be a table with those skills," Gajeel said with a grin, taking his seat by her feet.

"That would probably be more exciting than what I have been doing," Levy frowned. "The only excitement I'm getting right now is the walk to the bathroom."

Gajeel took a sip of his beer, "Don't lie to yourself Shorty, if you had this much time off you would be sitting around reading anyway."

"I would not! I would go to the library," she noticed Gajeel's grin and pouted, "and have the occasional walk in the park, and I would go see Lucy some. I might have even gone to a movie or two!"

"Well I can get ya a movie or two, if that's what you want Shrimp," Gajeel said.

Levy sighed and started twirling her spaghetti, "I know, I'm just so ready to be done."

Gajeel held up a finger, "No way Shorty, ya gotta make it at least two more weeks remember? Finish strong."

"I know!" Levy groaned. "But everything hurts! And I have to pee every ten minutes! For some reason I really miss being able to sleep on my back and I don't even remember _liking_ sleeping like that. I can't even see my toes anymore! It doesn't help that I want to eat everything and it all either causes gas or heartburn. Gajeel, I'm a mess."

"Well an adorable mess," he said giving her a supportive rub on the thigh. "Just two more weeks Shorty, you can do it. I brought you the orders from the store to pack, although I don't see why you can't just have Lakia do it . . ."

"No! I know it's just busy work, but I need the busy work!" she exclaimed.

"Alright, alright Shorty, no need to bite my head off. I'll bring in your books and boxes, just let me eat first," as if to emphasize he took a huge bite of chicken.

Levy lay her head on the back of the couch and looked at him with a fond smile. She reached a hand in his direction, "Thank you Gajeel."

Gajeel grabbed her hand and ran a thumb across her knuckles. "Anything for you Shorty," he winked and kissed her knuckles. "When we're done, you wanna read me some of that story too? It sounded kinda interesting."

She perked up, obviously pleased, "Yea Gajeel! I could even start from the beginning!"

He smiled, hoping she would still be that happy if he fell asleep halfway through, "Gihihi, sounds like a plan little mama."

* * *

Laxus had already been by the bar, but Cana told him Mira left to go home for the evening. Now he was outside her apartment and he found himself hesitant to knock. He didn't really want to deal with an irate Mira, that was a frightening woman to be around. Still, Freed had made it clear he needed to apologize to her tonight. He even reiterated it when Laxus had called him on the car ride over, asking if maybe giving her a night to cool off would be a better course of action.

Laxus raised a hand and softly knocked on the door, he didn't want to wake her if she had gone to sleep after all. Maybe she wasn't even home. He had a key but he wasn't going to come bursting in when she didn't want to see him. He stood in silence, thinking how amazing it was that a building with this many tenants could be so quiet. He wondered what they used for insulation.

This was stupid, maybe he should just leave. Maybe tonight for the first time ever, Mira had gone to bed early. Laxus sighed, there was no way she was asleep, he had to knock harder.

He just worked up the courage to knock again, when the door swung open. Her face tied his stomach in knots. Her cheeks were red and her eyes swollen, Mira had obviously been crying. He stepped in quietly and she shut the door behind him. Laxus touched her face and ran a thumb across her cheek, "Well hell Mira, I don't have to go, I didn't want to make you cry."

Mira threw herself at him, hugging him tightly around the waist, "I'm so sorry!"

"Now why the hell are you apologizing?" Laxus chuckled, folding her into his arms.

She lifted her head up to look at him, "I didn't mean to yell, I was just so upset."

"Well I should have told ya. I don't know why I didn't," Laxus frowned. "I'll try to do better next time, I'm sorry I told you about it last minute. Really Mira, if you don't want me to go, I won't go."

Mira frowned, "Of course I want you to go dummy. Are you kidding me? Freed would be so mad!" She giggled and rubbed her eyes, "I'm just so happy you came back, and didn't leave without giving me a chance to say I'm sorry."

"Fuck Mira, that's ridiculous, I deserved to get yelled at."

Mira grinned really wide, "Yea, you kinda did." Then she bit her lip, lifting her arms to clasp her hands behind his neck, "You don't have to leave quite yet, do ya?"

He looked down at her through heavy lidded eyes, "No, I've got all night for you."

"Well I have some ideas about how to punish you that will make both of us feel better," she started playing with the hair on the back of his neck.

Laxus grinned real big and lifted her up so her face met his, loving the way she immediately wrapped her legs around him. "Is that so?" he rumbled. She grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him. He headed in the direction of her room, knowing full well what kind of punishment Mira had in mind.

* * *

Juvia didn't know whether to feel excited or worried. The whole ride home Gray kept sending her heated glances that took her breath away. In the past that had meant he would walk her to her door, give her a tight-lipped kiss, and run back to his truck, but tonight it felt different.

She hadn't expected the dancing to be so . . .sensual. Originally, she thought at best she would convince him to go out for a song or two, they would laugh and spin, and step on each others toes, and that would be that. While the dancing had started light and with smiles, it turned so passionate. The way he stared in her eyes while he ran his hands down her hips and up her back had sent chills straight to her spine, it was hard to stay upright at times.

In the end, he had been the one to stop it, pulling her to the table, paying the bill quickly, and then pulling her out to the car. She could have danced the whole night with him, that time in his arms had been paradise. Now the question was, had they broken through that wall? Would he stay with her? Or would he continue to fight the growing desire between them?

When he pulled up in front of her house she was almost afraid to ask, but she had to try, "Do you want to come in Gray-sama?" He swallowed deeply, then slowly turned to look at her. He bit his lower lip and searched her face, looking for some answer she wasn't sure she had. She reached out and grabbed his hand, "Gray-sama?"

He looked down at her hand then back up to her eyes, "Yes Juvia, I want to come in."

She tried to smile normally when she said, "Wonderful Gray-sama!" She opened her door and continued to ramble, "Juvia got the coffee you like. I just noticed yesterday that we were almost out and I thought Gray-sama would be so displeased to wake up and not have it." Juvia put her key in her door, "Juvia also made sure to have plenty of good things for breakfast, Juvia means that is . . .if you decide to stay, of course . . ."

Juvia felt Gray wrap his arms around her, pulling himself up against her back. "That sounds great Juvia," his voice rumbled in her ear, sending chills down to her toes.

She giggled nervously, "Do you think so? Juvia wasn't sure if she should get bacon and eggs, or oatmeal, or sausage. There are so many things at the grocery store, it's so hard to choose."

She opened the door and heard Gray chuckle, "Juvia."

Juvia turned to look at him, "Yes, Gray-sama?"

He smirked down at her, "You're rambling."

Juvia flushed in embarrassment, "Oh! I'm so sorry Gray-sama, Juvia didn't mean to ramble. It's just when Gray-sama tells me anything would be fine, it doesn't really help me pick. Sometimes Juvia . . ."

Gray just laughed again, shaking his head, then he shut her up by placing his lips passionately down on hers. Juvia could no longer think about breakfast foods or coffee. Gray used his body to gently nudge her into the house, his kisses growing deeper, his hands pulling down her back. She managed to drop her purse and step out of her shoes in the foyer while he kicked shut the door behind him. She flitted her tongue into his mouth and he groaned, pulling her so tight against him that she could feel just how aroused he was through his pants. She wanted him so bad, she prayed he wouldn't stop, hoped he wouldn't flee.

He pulled out of their kiss and looked down at her, again searching her eyes. He whispered out, "Juvia, I want . . .I mean . . .would you? . . ." he sighed, closing his eyes in frustration.

She gave him his answer by kissing him desperately. He kept his lips on hers while he removed his shirt, frantically pulling the buttons free, then moving down to work on his belt. Juvia grinned into his mouth then undid the back of her skirt, letting it float down the floor. Free of his pants, he returned his hands to her backside, grabbing her butt and lifting her. Juvia wrapped her legs around him, enjoying the way he roughly grabbed her thighs and bit her lower lip before turning his attention to her neck.

He carried her into the living room and fell back on the couch. Juvia smiled down on him while she pulled her shirt over her head and threw it aside, grateful that tonight she had decided to wear the sexy black lace bra and panties. Gray breathed out an appreciative, "wow" then buried himself again into her throat, sucking and licking his way up to her ear. He chuckled softly then whispered, "God, I want you so bad," his strong fingers digging into the tops of her legs.

**NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW**

Juvia looked down at him and bit her lip. She smiled seductively then slid down out of his lap, slowly kneeling between his legs. He gave her a look of confusion, "Where are you going?" Juvia didn't answer, instead she pulled down his waistband, freeing him from his briefs. Gray swallowed deeply. She ran her tongue up the shaft and he breathed in sharply, covering his eyes with a groan, leaning back into his seat. Feeling slightly emboldened by his reaction to her, Juvia wrapped her mouth around the head and sucked lightly. She wrapped her hand around the base and slowly put more of him in her mouth while flicking the tip with her tongue. Having him in her mouth was making her body scream for him, the dull ache of desire growing rapidly between her legs.

Gray breathed out between his teeth and then shook his head, grabbing her by the elbows and pulling her up, "Wait, Juvia stop."

Juvia sat next to him and breathed out in annoyance, "Did Gray-sama not like it?"

"Fuck, no, sorry Juvia, it was good, fuck, it felt really good, but," he paused running his fingers through his hair, "you aren't letting me do anything." Gray kissed her and gently nudged her back on the couch.

"If that's what Gray-sama wants," Juvia purred.

Gray covered his face and chuckled. He withdrew his hand and gave her a wolfish grin, "What I want is for Juvia to stop worrying about what I want and start letting me know what Juvia wants. We can start with this," he reached around grabbing the clasp of her bra, "does Juvia want me to take this off?"

Juvia looked up at him and bit her lip, "Yes."

Gray undid her bra, then removed it and tossed it aside. He gently ran his hands down her body, stopping at the black lace. "And does Juvia want me to take these off?"

Juvia breathed in sharply, unable to take her eyes off of him, "Yes, Gray-sama."

She helped him by lifting her hips and he pulled her underwear down her legs, tossing them aside. He picked up one of her legs and began kissing his way up, getting closer and closer to her core. "And what would Juvia like me to do now?" He was watching her so intensely, it was hard to catch her breath. She knew what she wanted, but she suddenly felt too shy to ask, so she looked away, hoping he might just find it on his own. She was brought back to him when she felt his teeth nip her inner thigh. Juvia jumped and breathed in sharply. When she looked back at him he had on a mischievous grin, "Juvia?"

"I want . . .Gray-sama to touch me," Juvia breathed out.

Gray was already running his fingers up her leg when he asked, "Where?"

Juvia squeezed shut her eyes and bit her finger. Then she slowly ran a hand down her middle stopping between her legs. "Here." She opened her eyes to see Gray's small grin as his fingers made their way to her opening.

Gray lost his cool expression when his fingers dipped into her. "How are you already so wet?"

Juvia blushed, feeling slightly embarrassed, "It pleases Juvia to pleasure Gray-sama."

Gray stared at her for a moment, then fell on to her with a groan, rubbing his forehead into her stomach, "Damnit Juvia you can't say that kind of stuff, you're gonna kill me here."

"But Juvia doesn't want Gray-sama to die, Juvia wants Gray-sama to continue," she said with a grin.

Gray slid his fingers in and out, "Like this Juvia?"

Juvia closed her eyes again, relaxing into his movement. "And here Gray-sama, please touch me here." She grabbed his other hand and guided him to her sensitive bud. He gently rubbed it back and forth, "Like this Juvia?"

"Yes," Juvia sighed out. Her breaths were coming in pants now, her whole body beginning to pulse with pleasure. He added another finger and thrusted them faster. Juvia was beginning to lose control, she grabbed one of his arms tightly, and covered her face with her other arm as her body began bucking against his hand. Pants turned to whimpers, whimpers to cries as a violent pleasure tore through her body.

When she came down from the adrenaline, feeling the tell-tale dampness between her thighs, she looked up to see Gray, watching her with a mystified look on his face. He slumped onto her thigh, keeping his eyes on hers, and gave a breathy chuckle, "God, I want to be inside you so bad."

Juvia looked back at him and said, "Juvia wants you there."

Gray sat up and sighed, running his hand down his face, "I don't have a condom."

Juvia smiled, "Juvia's prepared, Juvia's on birth control."

Gray frowned slightly, "There you go again handling everything, I don't deserve you."

"Then make it up to me by making love to me," Juvia offered.

He stared down at her for a moment, then pulled himself over her until his mouth met hers, his kisses gentle but urgent. He reached down between them to guide himself into her, breathing out in a deep sigh as he filled her. Gray kissed her throat and whispered into her hair, "You don't understand how good this feels"

Juvia laughed, thinking she had an idea, being this close to Gray was heaven. She kissed him, running her fingers up and down his back, enjoying the sensation of him slowly moving in and out. She shifted her hips so that her feet could meet above his back, allowing him further entrance. Gray hissed out against her lips, obviously struggling, "Damnit Juvia that's not fair."

"Juvia didn't say she wanted fair," Juvia giggled.

"Is that right?" he asked and he began moving faster until Juvia couldn't do anything but respond to him, her feet firmly together, her nails sinking into his back as if she was holding on for dear life. Finally he couldn't keep it up any longer, he kissed her deeply while his hips pushed firmly into her, causing her to cry out from the intensity of it. When Gray was spent, he relaxed into her and chuckled into her throat, "I can't believe I've waited this long for this." He lifted his head and kissed her, "I love you so much Juvia."

**NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW** **NSFW**

Juvia smiled and kissed him on the cheek, "I love you too Gray-sama." Then her smile turned impish, "You know Gray-sama, Juvia has a bath that fits two upstairs. . ."

* * *

Sting could not believe Yukino was here, curled up on his couch, watching Game of Thrones. The last few weeks had been awesome, but he hadn't been able to work up the courage to kiss her. Also, he felt like he had to come up with something fun to do every time they went out, he wasn't confident that she would want to just do something as simple as this. Rogue was more than a little bit annoyed with him, and had abandoned him to play video games with Orga for the night, stating if he wanted to see her, he had to work up the courage to do it on his own.

Tonight he knew he had to finish cleaning up the graphics for the website so that Rogue could make sure everything was right on the design tomorrow. There was no way he would've have the time to take her to something interesting or fun. He couldn't put the work off, they were meeting the client on Monday and everything had to be perfect. Sting had typed a dozen messages to her explaining this fact, but they all seemed stupid. Finally he gave up, convincing himself that she hadn't messaged him at all, so maybe she wasn't interested in spending time with him anyway. Instead he focused really hard on getting his work completed so that if she did message him, he could be ready.

The message was more than he could have hoped for, he still grinned thinking about it. She wanted to see him. Not hang out with the guys, not go out to see some kind of show, just spend time with him. Inviting her to his place had been impulse. Luckily, he was almost finished by the time she arrived with take out bags in hand, because there was no way he could get anything properly done with her here.

Now Sting sat with his arm around the couch, Yukino leaning into his shoulder. He was trying to think of something else to say, he really wanted to kiss her but the question was how to move in. She had to be interested right? She came to hang out at his apartment, knowing full well that he might have to ignore her for part of the time. Sting took a deep breath thinking he could be really smooth about this, just lift her chin, tell her how beautiful she is, and put his lips on hers. One more deep breath for good measure, and he looked down, to see Yukino fast asleep. He couldn't help but laugh, finally work up the courage, and the girl was passed out. He pulled his laptop off the table next to him, thinking he would go over the few changes he had made when she got there and then send everything on over to Rogue. He had time, he didn't want to move any time soon.

* * *

Natsu froze when he heard the door to the garage open behind him. He had just gotten started and Lucy was going to catch him now! "Hey Luce! Already home? Did you have a good time?" he asked a little too loudly, turning in his seat with a plastered on smile.

His smile turned to a real one when Lucy slightly stumbled and giggled, "It was ameowzing!"

Natsu chuckled, "Cana did ya one in again, didn't she?"

Lucy scrunched up her nose, "Maybe a little, she didn't want me to leave, but I was done."

He stood and headed in her direction. Drunk Lucy around all his power tools was not a very good idea. "You could have called me ya know. Erza didn't have to leave so early."

Lucy threw her hands out dramatically, "Well, you know Erza. Early to bed, early to rise, sailor's warning." Lucy saluted Natsu with a grin.

Natsu laughed and caught her, just as she was about to tip into the bandsaw, "What was that Luce? I don't think I quite understood."

Instead of answering, she just leaned into him and sniffed his throat, then sighed, "You smell so nice."

He hitched her up into his arms and smiled, "Why thank ya Lucy, you don't smell so bad yourself. How about we get you into bed?"

Lucy pursed her lips and shook her head, "Natsu, Natsu, Natsu, always only thinking about one thing."

Natsu grinned and wrangled the door open with her in his arms, she helped by wrapping her arms around his neck, but the way she kept kicking her feet was making it hard to stay balanced. "Oh yea? What's that Luce?" he goaded her on as he shut the door behind them.

"Sex!" she yelled, then covered her mouth to muffle her wild giggles. Lucy then whispered, "Whoops, I meant seeeeexxxx."

"Yea that volume control, it's a hard thing to figure out." Natsu adjusted her in his arms, "Jeez Luce when did you get so heavy, I'm gonna pull a muscle carrying you here."

Lucy gave an exaggerated frown, "I am not heavy, you take it back! I'm beautiful."

"You are beautiful, but I don't think there's a direct correlation between those two things," Natsu said as he reached the back door of their house.

Lucy smelled her breath, "Coriander, I didn't eat any coriander, that's weird Natsu."

"Yep, I'm totally the weirdo here," he chuckled as he headed towards the bedroom.

"No Natsu! I have to pee!" Lucy squealed.

Natsu spun in place, heading back towards the bathroom, "Alright then."

"But when I'm done, just you wait mister," Lucy said, booping the end of his nose.

"Oh yea," Natsu set her down gently in the bathroom and leaned against the door frame with an amused grin.

"Oh yea," Lucy said, leaning on the sink, "I'm gonna . . ." she covered her mouth as she yawned, "sleep so hard."

"I figured as much," Natsu said, "I'm going to go clean up what I was doing in the garage. I'll be back to watch you snore in a bit."

Lucy was taking a break, resting her face in her hand with her elbow on the sink. She waved him off with her free hand, "Yea, you go on ahead, this is gonna take a while. And I don't snore, I'm a lady, get it right." Immediately she gave a tiny burp, she covered her mouth with a pained expression, "Oh god, that wasn't good. Ugh! I hate Cana sometimes!"

"Don't worry, I'll make it quick. I'll be back to get you to bed in a jiffy," He kissed her cheek and left back towards the garage thinking going forward, he was going to need a plan. Maybe he should mess with her car so he would have to drive her everywhere, he could never be able keep her special project a surprise if she had the ability to keep popping up at random. Maybe he could put a tracker on her? He got the feeling that she wouldn't appreciate either. He would have to give this some serious thought.

* * *

Cana had really hoped feeding Lucy liquor would give her something to focus on for the night. She hadn't counted on Erza taking Lucy with her, how could she have missed that possibility? She was losing her edge.

The last customer was pulling out his wallet to pay. Right now, she could do it, she could convince him to stay for one more. Maybe just see if he'd want to stick around for an encore of her at home. That would work well to end this weirdness with Bacchus, and it helped that the guy was cute. Her heart just wasn't in it. She took his card with a smile and ran it without saying a single thing.

Bacchus was already stacking all the chairs like he was planning on getting out of here in a hurry. Maybe he had found someone else then? Why didn't that sit well with her now? Everything was so normal just a few weeks ago, why did she have to be stupid and muddy things!

The man walked out with a wave and Bacchus locked the door behind him, dimming the lights. Cana turned quickly to work on emptying the register, putting everything in the bag that would go in the safe for Mira to deal with the next day. She wasn't going to engage him, no flirting, no sarcastic remarks, she would just pack up and get home.

Bacchus did not get this memo. He walked straight for her and leaned on the counter next to her, "What's going on with you?"

Cana gave him a look of confusion, she expected a lot more finesse and charm than that. This she didn't know how to react to. "Say what now?"

He sighed and gave her a look of disappointment, "Really Cana?"

Cana looked back at the register, she closed and locked it, then closed and locked the deposit bag. "I don't know what you want from me Bacchus," she huffed, turning heel and heading back to the office.

The man had the nerve to follow her, "What I want from you? Well an explanation would be nice. Really at this point, I would settle for a normal hello, and you looking me in the eye when I talk to you. Fuck Cana, you're making evenings here miserable."

Cana ignored him, unsure of the best way to respond. She strode into Mira's office, back to the safe, carefully entering the pin, and trying to ignore the way he loomed in the doorway, watching her. Once the deposit bag was safely stowed, and the safe door closed and sealed, she had no more reason to delay. She swallowed and turned slowly. Bacchus' eyes were on her, his typically happy face twisted down in frustration. She was being a real bitch and she didn't know why. "I guess I don't know what's wrong with me Bacchus."

She hoped that would satisfy him, but when she got to the door his arm blocked the way out. "You can't seriously think that's going to be enough," he said.

Cana was annoyed, she just wanted to go home. "Bacchus, fuck off. Just get over it will ya?"

"I don't want to get over it," his arm stayed in it's spot.

"Well maybe you don't have a choice," she said. She tried to bend to go under his arm.

He caught her and turned her so that she had to look at him. "Cana you aren't being fair at all here babe."

She furrowed her brow, "Let go of me now Bacchus."

"Cana, you can't run away from me. I'm going to be here tomorrow night and the next night, so please just help me understand." He licked his lips, "Help me understand what happened and I'll leave you be alright. We have a great night, as good as ever, fuck, better than ever! Then come morning, instead of having an encore like we would have had in the past, you're running out on me like some stranger. I have to admit, I was a little amused to see ya run into Lucy's old place, even more amused when I saw the old lady head up there later, but damn Cana. Just what the hell was that?"

Cana looked away from him, disgusted with her own behavior, "I don't know."

"I know you're not sleeping with anyone else, I know you're not interested in anyone else, so can you just explain to me what the hell I did wrong that's making you treat me like dirt on your damn shoe."

Cana rolled her eyes, "Seriously, just forget it Bacchus. Forget about me, just go bother one of your other girls."

"Forget about you?" he exclaimed motioning towards her. "How the hell can you expect me to forget about you Cana! You're all I think about anymore. It's driving me crazy!"

Cana laughed, "Yea, right Bacchus. One girl for you would be like eating one food for the rest of your life. I don't really see that happening."

"I could eat one food for the rest of my life," Bacchus challenged.

Cana scoffed, "Yea right."

"No really. I could easily eat pizza, every day, for the rest of my life," Bacchus stated.

"Wait, are you somehow relating me to pizza?" Cana was intrigued and insulted at the same time.

"I wasn't at first, but you know, yea, you're just like pizza to me," Bacchus nodded.

Cana snorted, "Oh that's rich. And how exactly am I pizza?"

Bacchus looked up in thought, absentmindedly running his fingers up and down her arm, "Well, pizza can be different, you can top it so many different ways. You can use different cheeses, different sauces, different doughs for the crust, but in the end it's still pizza. And as long as you don't do something fucked up to it, you know like combine sardines with grapefruit or some shit, pizza's damn good. So even though it would be the same thing every night, it feels different, and I'd have it over anything else."

Cana crossed her arms, completely unimpressed, "Yea, I'm still not following here, this isn't exactly romantic Bacchus."

"Well, I'm not romantic. I'm blunt and straight forward, so excuse me for trying to use a metaphor. What I'm saying is I can take you home and fuck you six ways to Sunday," he moved forward to murmur in her ear, "and it's good every fucking time. So good that I don't think I want anything else."

Cana froze, completely aware and irritated that his nonsense was turning her on. "Bacchus," she whispered, unable to say much more.

He pulled away so their noses almost touched, "Cana, I'm not asking you to take this more than a day at a time. If you don't want me anymore that's fine, it'll hurt my soul to be without you, but babe I can't force you to do anything you don't want to. Just don't avoid me, if we can't play with touch between the sheets, will you at least play with words here? I miss your sass, I don't like this closed off version and it really fucking bothers me that I caused it."

"It was a lot easier to handle you when you weren't around all the time," Cana pouted.

"Handle me? What do you mean handle me?"

"I don't know Bacchus, I don't like feeling like this, it confuses me. You're supposed to be the guy I call every once and a while. Now you're there all the time, and you keep having these weird serious talks, and it makes it harder to forget about you when you aren't around." Cana looked up at him with a scowl.

"Then stop forgetting me," he said with a cockeyed grin.

She started to turn away, "I don't think I can do this."

He gently grabbed the sides of her face, "Cana seriously, just one day at a time, if that's all I can have, I can handle it. Just ya know, when you're done, don't avoid me like this, it makes me think I made you do something you didn't want to."

"Well, you know that I never do anything I don't want to," Cana frowned.

"That's what I thought, but I've never seen you treat any of your former lays like you've been treating me. I'm well aware that a few have come by the bar once or twice. What the hell am I supposed to think about the way you've been acting?" he exclaimed.

"Bacchus!" Cana whined, stomping her foot.

"What?"

She kissed him, roughly, biting his lip as she pulled away. "Cut the crap and take me home. I'll try to be better tomorrow."

"So I'm getting pizza tonight?" his silly grin returned.

She put a finger in his face, "Call it that one more time, and you're never getting any ever again. Get it?"

"Loud and clear," he grinned, wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her towards the door.

* * *

Yukino stretched her arms up over her head with a smile and hum. She felt so lighthearted. Yukino was just losing grasp of the wisps of memory left over from her happy dream. It left her in such a good mood, even with the slight disorientation when she first opened her eyes. However, her smile dropped the moment she remembered watching the show with Sting. Oh dear, she had fallen asleep at his house, how embarrassing!

She heard noise coming from her right, in the kitchen area that was attached to the living room and located behind the couch. Yukino sat up slowly, peaking her head up over the back of the seat. Sting was in the kitchen fussing with the coffee maker, wearing just a pair of sweatpants. She couldn't help but stare at his backside, she hadn't realized he was so muscular. Then Sting turned quickly and caught her staring. Yukino squeaked and fell forward, folding herself in half and covering her eyes, as if it would further help her hide.

"Hey, you're up," his said with a smile.

Yukino slowly lifted her head back up, like a gopher cautiously peering out of it's hole. "I am so sorry Sting! I can't believe I fell asleep." She slowly raised her head farther, thinking there was no use hiding her bright red cheeks, the embarrassment wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. When she caught sight of him again, his mouth dropped slightly open. She quickly put up her hands to adjust her hair, "What? Do I look weird or something?"

"No, sorry," he shook his head and smiled. "You look good . . .you look really good." His eyes widened after his statement and he turned, suddenly very busy putting sugar in his coffee.

"Do you need help with anything?" she asked. She pulled herself to a stand and stretched her arms over her head. When she turned to face him again he had that look on his face again. Yukino frowned and looked down at her outfit, was she doing something strange that she was missing? "Sting, do you need help?" she tried again.

"Uhh no, I already made the coffee. There's a place downstairs that makes a really good brunch, I mean . . .if you want to stick around," he turned slightly pink and scratched the back of his neck.

"Brunch would be nice," she said as she walked towards the kitchen. "What time is it anyway?" she found the clock on Sting's oven, "Oh my gosh is that right? Is it really already noon!"

Sting smiled, "Yea, it's noon."

Yukino grabbed her cheeks, they were really burning now. "Why didn't you wake me? I can't believe you just let me loaf on your couch like that!"

Sting shrugged, "I haven't actually been up that long myself, I don't have to wake up super early for work during the week and I usually take my time getting up on the weekends."

She smiled sheepishly, "I never sleep later than nine on the weekends, but I get up at four sometimes for work, so nine is sleeping in for me."

Sting nearly spit out his coffee, "Four!"

"You have to have everything ready for the prework crowd, they don't come at five in the morning for day-olds," Yukino smiled, filling the mug Sting had set out for her.

"Oh, I have sugar, it's the box there on the counter and I have milk too . . .I think," Sting went to his fridge and pulled out the container. He opened it, gave it a sniff, then smiled, "Yes! I have milk." He looked up at Yukino's amused face. "Sorry, I don't always use it all in time."

"That's okay, you don't have to apologize." Yukino took it from him and poured a little in her mug. She took the spoon he offered, and used it to put a teaspoon of sugar in her cup, and stir it. Then she took a sip and smiled, turning back to Sting, "I still can't believe I slept so long! I hope it wasn't a big imposition."

"No, I'm sorry you had to sleep on the couch. I would have put you in the bed and taken the couch myself, but I was worried trying to move you would wake you." He leaned an elbow on the counter and looked up at her with a grin.

"I couldn't take your bed!" Yukino blushed at the thought of sleeping in his sheets. It probably all smelled like him. She was lying, she could definitely take his bed.

"I wouldn't have minded," he shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee.

Yukino thought it might be better to switch to safer topics or she was liable to turn the shade of a tomato. "Did you get all your work finished?"

"Yea, Rogue just messaged me to let me know he's done with everything on his side, hopefully the client likes it. We'll see tomorrow if we got it right."

"Is he coming for brunch too?" Yukino hoped he would say no. She was really enjoying this time alone.

Sting frowned, taking a large sip of coffee and taking the time to savor it. He grimaced when he said, "Well no, I could invite him if you want though. He might be able to get here."

Oh dear, he didn't seem to like the idea of Rogue coming either. She thought of Sorano telling her to be direct, "Actually . . . I was hoping it would be with just you." After she said it she could hardly breath, was that too much?

His radiant smile was all the answer she needed, "Awesome, I'll go get dressed." He held up a finger, "Just one sec, okay? Don't go anywhere." He set down his coffee and turned in the direction of his room.

"Okay," Yukino replied. She watched the muscles move in his back as he walked to his room, while she played with the collar of her shirt. When he disappeared, she shook herself from her trance, taking a deep sip of her coffee. She really needed to wake up, or she would be blushing the entire day!


	28. Doubly Dizzy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's finally time for the twins to arrive, natsu feels a little green, and Yukino gets a surprise visitor at the bakery

 

It had really turned into a crap day. Natsu had spent all morning helping Gray install a new central heat in this little old lady's home. Unfortunately today was unseasonably hot, and the woman's attic was cramped and smelled of cat urine. So, not only did he have to listen to Gray lording over him, he was sweating his balls off, and he was pretty sure the odor had soaked into his clothes. There was only one thing that could make his day better, and that would be rubbing his funk all over Lucy. She would hate that and it would be hilarious, plus he could grab lunch while he stopped by. Added bonus, she would probably try and get him back this evening when she got home and smelled like butter. He was really starting to look forward to those butter tackles.

He opened the door to the bakery, allowing himself a moment to enjoy the cool burst of air and the smell of chocolate and sugar. This was what his heaven would smell like. Natsu's moment of zen was quickly ripped away by the sight of an orange haired man in an expensive suit, leaning over the counter and watching Lucy's backside, as she laughed and made him coffee, Loke. Natsu knew they were friends now, he knew he had nothing to worry about, but whenever he saw him he couldn't help but gnash his teeth and turn green with jealousy.

Forgiveness was good, it was healthy, and Lucy seemed better for it; but that didn't mean Loke had to come in here all the time and lay on the charm. Worst of all he was a constant reminder of Natsu's biggest doubt, that he would never be able to give Lucy enough. That this was just some phase of hers, and one day she would wake up and want the expensive clothes, the five thousand square foot house, the nice car, and a man who always smelled of cologne and worked in an office. There were days where it seemed like this was too easy, they went together too well, and she was too good for him. That she would disappear just like his dad had, reopening a wound he had worked so hard to stitch closed.

Lucy turned and noticed him, her face turning up in a wide smile, "Hey Natsu! You must be so hot, it's awful out today! What me to make you a smoothie?"

Natsu rubbed the back of his head, "Sure Luce, that sounds great." She smiled and disappeared into the back, quickly followed by the sound of a blender.

Loke turned and gave him a grin, "Working outside today Natsu? Certainly smells like it."

Natsu leaned against one of the display cases and regarded Loke with raised brows, "Really? I couldn't smell anything over that ladies' perfume scent, did you take a bath in some?"

Natsu was a little confused when Loke just gave a good-natured laugh, "I know it's horrible, but Aries really likes it, so I wear it. The things you do for love right?" Loke picked up the coffee Lucy had set on the counter for him and took a sip. "Hey Lucy, I'm going to head out."

Lucy finally appeared from the back, pink drink in hand, "Are you leaving so soon?"

"Yes, sorry, I've got to get back to it. You know your father, he's such a taskmaster," he kissed Lucy on the cheek and gave Natsu a nod, "Natsu, always a pleasure."

Natsu narrowed his eyes and nodded back, "Have a good one." He kept his eyes on Loke until the man disappeared out the front door.

Lucy walked over and handed Natsu his smoothie. She grinned and raised her brow, "Wow Natsu, that was almost cordial."

Natsu pouted, "Does he really have to stop by all the time?" He wrapped Lucy in a hug, "I'm tired of seeing him check out your ass, that's my ass, only I'm supposed to check it out."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "He was not checking out my ass, he just really likes the coff . . ." She made a gagging noise and covered her mouth and nose, "Oh my god Natsu! Is that you?"

Natsu cackled with glee, "You would not believe the smell of this woman's attic, she has like ten cats and I think a few escaped up there." He rubbed his hair into her neck, "Isn't it great?"

Lucy attempted to push him away, but it was too late now, he had her in his clutches. "Natsu, that's awful! Let go of me!"

He looked up at her, feigning insult, "I can't believe you would say that Lucy! I come all this way to see you and I don't even get a kiss?"

Lucy scoffed, but kissed him while holding her nose, "There is that enough? Yuck Natsu! It's like hugging a dirty litter box. You're not staying long are you? No one is going to want to eat with that smell."

Natsu released her, "Aww, so Loke gets a 'you have to leave so soon' but I need to get out of here quick?"

Lucy cocked her head, "Is somebody being jealous today?"

Natsu crossed his arms and frowned, "No, just observant."

Lucy slumped, "Natsu . . .give me a break here. What do you want for lunch? I'll make it to go."

"Whatever's easiest works, just pack up one of those ham and cheese croissants. I can't stay long anyway, Gray wants to get this done fast, guess he's tired of smelling like cat pee also." Natsu grinned, "Not that it's all that different from how he usually smells."

Lucy chuckled as she used a piece of wax paper to snag the croissant and toss it in a white paper bag. "I'm sure he'd appreciate the sentiment."

"Ahh, I just hate when it's his gig, he's so bossy," Natsu wrinkled his nose. "Plus he's weirdly cheerful lately, I don't know what to do with that."

"Honestly, I don't know why Laxus has you two work together at all, you two fight like cats and dogs every time." She walked over to the cookie case and grabbed four chocolate chip cookies, throwing them in the bag on top of the croissant.

Natsu shrugged, "Even with fighting, we still get more done than most others would, and it's done right too. We're the best."

Lucy handed him his bag and gave him a peck on the cheek, without holding her nose this time. "And so modest!"

He grinned, placed a hand on her back to pull her close and kissed her firmly on the mouth, smiling at her look of surprise. "Thanks for lunch Luce, you're the best."

She grinned and crinkled her nose, "You're welcome. Really though, when you get home, shower right away. I don't want the couch smelling like this."

Natsu tilted his head, "So you don't want me to rub my butt on your pillow?"

Lucy sighed, "Natsu!"

Natsu reluctantly let her go and headed towards the door, "Okay, okay, just my face."

Lucy waved, headed back to the kitchen, "You're hopeless. Love you, see you tonight."

"Love you too," he called, shoving a cookie in his mouth as he pushed open the door. Natsu was right, Lucy was too good to him. He didn't know why she loved him, but he really loved that she did.

* * *

"Hello Levy, it's so good to see you again," the doctor said, holding out her hand in greeting.

Levy was too tired to be cordial, she shook the woman's hand but gave her a distrusting look. "I don't understand, where is Doctor Law? They told me she was back."

The doctor looked to Gajeel in confusion, then looked back at Levy, "Levy, I am Doctor Law."

Gajeel chuckled uncomfortably, "Yea, come on Shrimp, I only met her two times and I remember her."

Dr. Law frowned, "I did lose a little weight while on personal leave, that might be what's throwing you off." She held up the cards hanging around her neck with a smile, "I can assure you though I am in fact Dr. Law, see, even my badge says so."

Levy read the information on the badge, noting the picture looked more like the doctor she remembered, "Okay. . ."

The doctor turned look at the counter and frowned, "You know, the nurse forgot to bring in the fetal Doppler, I'll be right back"

As soon as she was gone, Levy hissed to Gajeel, "That is not my doctor."

Gajeel barked in laughter, "Are you sure you're feeling okay? 'Cause that is definitely Doctor Law."

"My doctor was cuddly and motherly, like someone you would want to take care of you when you're sick. This woman is like . . .is like an Amazon goddess!" Levy exclaimed.

Gajeel gave her a look of concern,"Levy, it's the same woman. Are you seriously not wanting her to do the delivery because she's lost a few pounds?"

Levy huffed in frustration, "A few pounds! She looks like two completely different people!"

Gajeel raised a brow, "You have low blood sugar or something? I could go find you a snack if you want, cause you're acting crazy shrimp."

"Stupid Gajeel, I am not crazy! This is just. . . weird. Why does everything keep being a surprise with this pregnancy? My nerves can't take it!"

The door swung open and Dr. Law walked in with a wide smile on her face, "Alright Levy, let's listen to those babies!" She squirted the gel and ran the Doppler wand around on Levy's large belly. Looking at the readout she smiled, "Good and strong!"

Dr. Law wiped Levy's belly clean with the towel she had nearby and proceeded to feel around, pressing firmly into Levy's abdomen. "Hmmm, I don't like this positioning, you know I'm going to go see if I can get us an ultrasound." She flashed a smile, "I'll be right back."

Levy bit her lip at looked at Gajeel. She didn't like to hear the words 'I don't like.' He grabbed her hand and ran his thumb over her knuckles. "Don't worry Shorty, you got this," he said with a smile.

She leaned into him with a sigh, "I sure hope so."

* * *

When Natsu got back to the house, Laxus was waiting outside. "You waiting on me?"

Laxus frowned, "Well I was gonna just tell Gray and go, but I went in the house and I'm pretty sure I heard that fucker singing. You guys have enough water up there right?"

Natsu snorted, the stuffed his second cookie in his mouth, "What was he singing?"

Laxus scratched his head, "I might be wrong, I hope I'm wrong, but I think it was I'm walking on sunshine?" Natsu doubled over in laughter. Laxus furrowed his brow, "Seriously man, do you ever remember Gray singing? I know he came to the house a little later than you guys, but I don't even remember him whistling before, much less singing. It freaked me out man, I had to get out of there."

On cue, Gray came walking out of the house. He was wearing only a pair of shorts and his boots, with a small towel around his head. "You waiting on me Laxus? I just noticed you out the window."

"Well I went in, heard music and thought, there's no way that's Gray up there," Laxus smirked.

Gray rolled his eyes, "Whatever man, I've gotta distract myself from this job somehow. I think this lady's attic is where the neighborhood sends their cats to die."

Natsu nodded, "It is pretty rank up there."

"You guys think you are gonna be done today? Or do you need another day?" Laxus asked.

"Definitely today, it's supposed to be hot tomorrow as well. I worked late last night, and I'll work late tonight as well if I need to. I can't do another day in this house, three days is all I can stand." Gray used the towel to dry the sweat from his face, "I've had to spend most of today with a bandana around my face, the combination of the heat and that smell is going to make me pass out." He turned to Natsu and grinned, "Although it did improve when Natsu went to lunch."

Natsu's eyebrows went up, "Oh really? I'm pretty sure that house actually smells like daisies and the smell has been your BO the whole time!"

Gray shoved his face in Natsu's "Oh yea, well I'm pretty sure all your mouth breathing raised the temperature up there ten degrees."

"Yea! Well I brought you back a cookie! Do you want it princess?" Natsu shoved the bag in Gray's face.

"Yes! I do want that cookie, fish breath!" Gray yelled, grabbing the bag from his hand. "Thank you."

"You're welcome numb nuts," Natsu said, pulling himself away and crossing his arms.

Laxus ran a hand down his face, "Fuck, it never changes with you two. There was nothing remotely normal about that interaction."

"We learned from the best," Gray said with a grin, taking a bite of the cookie.

Natsu pulled a stick of gum out of his pocket, "Yea, this from a guy who threw a hissy fit because Mira wanted to kiss him in public. Normal interactions, what would you know of 'em." He chuckled as he shoved the green stick in his mouth.

Laxus frowned. "Fuck, I should have just called. I just wanted to tell Natsu, if you guys were done, I need him to go to check out a job for me tomorrow. They requested Natsu specifically."

"It's another floor isn't it," Gray said with a groan.

"Of course, plus I'm pretty sure it's Lucy's dad," Laxus handed over a paper with an address and a number to Natsu.

Natsu cocked his head as he glanced over it, "Yea . . .that is Lucy's dad. I wonder if Lucy even knows Jude asked, it seems weird that he would go through you instead of having Lucy ask me."

"Hell if I know, can you get over there tomorrow?" Laxus pulled himself into his truck.

"Yea, yea, I'll be there." Natsu tucked the paper into his back pocket.

"Good. I need to get over to finish pulling some outlets in that house on main." He chuckled, "I know it's hot, but try not to kill each other. We're gonna lose Gajeel any day now, I can't afford to have to replace you guys too."

Natsu and Gray grumbled and waved as he pulled away. They headed back into the house and before they even reached the front step, Gray was humming to himself. Natsu wondered just what the hell was Juvia doing?

* * *

After the ultrasound, Dr. Law brought Gajeel and Levy into her office. "Well I have good news and bad news. The good news is both babies are doing well, they are already around six pounds each which is fantastic! The bad news is we are starting to see some placental deterioration."

"What does that mean?" asked Levy quickly.

Dr. Law frowned, "For some reason it is no longer delivering the babies all the blood and nutrients they need."

Gajeel grabbed Levy's hand, "What can we do about this?"

Dr. Law smiled tightly, "We're going to have to get these babies out today."

"So we're going to try to induce?" asked Levy, squeezing Gajeel's hand tighter.

"That's the other bad news, it appears baby one is blocking the exit with their bum. We're going to have to do a c-section." She folded her hands in front of her on her desk, "Levy, I know this is hard and it's not exactly what you wanted, but I'm afraid this is the only way to guarantee safety for both you and the babies."

Levy sighed deeply, leaning into Gajeel, trying to soak up his strength, "I. . .I understand."

"They are setting up the OR now, I'm going to have our nurse Arana take you over to your pre-op room so that can get you prepared. Do you have your things with you or do you have someone who can go pick them up?"

"Yes, I have someone that I can call." Levy answered quietly.

Dr. Law stood, "I'll give you guys a few minutes. This is scary, I know, but we are going to get those babies out safe and in your arms before you know it." She smiled and placed a supportive hand on Levy's shoulder, "Arana will be here soon to help you guys prepare, I will see you all in a bit."

After she left, Levy turned to look at Gajeel. She gave him the toughest smile she could, "I guess we're gonna see the babies tonight!"

Gajeel brushed aside her hair and kissed her forehead, "Yea Shorty, it looks like it's time."

* * *

Lucy washed her hands then proceeded to throw blocks of butter in the giant mixer.

"Is everything okay? Natsu seemed a little off," Yukino said.

"You think so? It was hard to see past the stink that was wafting off of him," Lucy laughed. She opened the huge barrel of sugar and started pouring scoopfuls of it into a container on the scale. "Hmmm, maybe Loke bothered him more than I realized." Once she was satisfied with the weight, Lucy began slowly pouring the sugar into the butter, watching in satisfaction as the blade began to beat them into a smooth yellow. "He's just always so confident you know, it's hard to see past the bravado at times."

"He's a pretty tough guy, it's hard to believe that anything would bother him." Yukino squinted her eyes, concentrating as she finished pressing a pattern around the edges of her pie crust.

"He acts tough but he's a big softy, I'll have to talk to him tonight." Lucy smiled fondly, watching for the butter and sugar to mix to just the right consistency. She started to reach for her container of egg yolks when she heard her phone buzz in the other room, Lucy frowned. "I wonder if that's him."

She left the mixer running and wandered into the office. She picked up the phone and her eyes widened in shock. "Oh my god! Yuki, Levy is having the babies!"

Yuki jumped in place. "That's so exciting! Do you need to go?"

Lucy started to run back and forth between the mixer and her bag, "But the dough, should I finish the dough first?"

"You just have the butter and the sugar in there right?" Yukino asked.

"Yes," Lucy answered.

"Just turn the mixer off for now and I'll get it as soon as I'm done with these crusts." Yukino scoop out another lump of crust dough, weighing it to make sure it was the right amount.

Lucy switched out off the mixer and grabbed her bag, "Thanks Yukino! I don't know what I would do without you!" She ran for the door.

Yukino laughed, "I could say the same for you! Give Levy my best!"

* * *

Levy felt like she was in a dream and the drugs hadn't even kicked in yet. The nice nurse held her hands as she sat on the table. "So Levy, how was your summer, did you do anything fun?"

Levy raised a brow, then looked around the room, "It was okay, will Gajeel be long? I really can't do this without him."

Her nurse smiled, "Don't worry Levy, he will be here. We won't get anything started without him. First we have to put in the spinal block, it's not going to be comfortable but you need to hold still okay. You are going to feel them put the numbing solution on and then a little prick as the needle goes in."

"Well okay . . ." Levy felt the anesthesiologist swab her back with something cold.

"So did I hear right that you own a book store?" The nurse asked.

Levy was about to answer when she felt a quick, sharp pain in her lower spine. She hissed and clenched her teeth, trying hard to keep herself still as she felt the warn liquid burn into her spine and down, then suddenly nothing.

"Just about done Levy, soon you won't be feeling anything." The nurse held firmly on her hands. "Okay, if you are ready we are going to lay back. I'm going to help you okay?"

"If you say so . . ." Levy started to lower herself sideways on the table, it was confusing when her lower half didn't respond. "I can't get the rest of me where it's supposed to be."

"Just the spinal kicking in, don't worry I'm here to help." Levy watched as the nurse lifted her legs and shifted her hips. It was like a strange out of body experience watching the nurse position her feet with a smile. "See all set Levy. We're going to draw the curtain and get daddy in here. Then we'll be all ready to go."

Levy's arms started shaking, she held up her hands watching them convulse uncontrollably as she felt the shaking move to her upper body, "Umm Arana?"

The nurse look up to her and her eyes widened, "Oh, oh dear. Don't worry that's normal, we'll get something in your IV for that."

Levy felt a burning come in through her IV. "Just a moment Levy, the shaking will get better in a second. It might make you feel a little bit drowsy." The anesthesiologist smiled and took a seat near her head.

"This is okay for the babies right?" Levy asked, she felt the shaking begin to subside, along with her worries.

"Of course Levy, we aren't going to give you anything that will hurt the babies. Okay, now we're going to pull the curtain for you," A blue cloth was drawn in front of her face. It went up just high enough to block the sight of what they were doing, above that was mesh.

"Wait, I'm going to get to see the babies right? You aren't going to just take them away after?" Levy asked..

Dr. Law popped her head around the curtain so Levy could see her, "Of course Levy, we'll make sure you see them. If everything is good, we can even do some skin to skin after we get you closed back up."

Gajeel appeared next to her, sitting on the stool and taking her hand, "This is some weird stuff we're doing here, everything okay Shorty?" Levy started laughing, Gajeel raised a brow, "What's so funny?"

"You look weird in that paper dress," Levy snorted.

Gajeel looked to the nurse for help, she smiled "We had to put her on medication for the shaking, it might make her a little loopy."

Levy laughed, "Isn't this crazy Gajeel the babies are coming! And this curtain makes me feel like I'm flying. It's like the bright blue sky."

Gajeel sighed, "Well fuck."

Levy raised a finger and furrowed her brow, "Gajeel language! The babies are going to be here soon."

He brushed the hair from her face, he chuckled, "Alright Shrimp, I'll try."

"Okay, we're going to get started Levy, making the incision now!" came Dr. Law's voice from the other side of the curtain.

Gajeel made a nauseous face, "Are you feeling that at all?"

"No! Isn't that amazing?" Levy exclaimed. "We live in an age where someone can basically cut all the way into your internal organs and you are none the wiser! What a world we live in! Isn't it cool Gajeel?"

Gajeel made a sound of disgust and put his head in his hands,"If you say so, maybe let's not talk about it though."

The anesthesiologist laughed, "Don't pass out in here papa or we're leaving you on the floor until we're done. Babies and mama come first."

Gajeel held a thumbs up, "Got it."

She heard the nurse laugh, "Are we losing daddy back there?"

"No way," laughed Levy, "He's a Redfox, they're tough."

Gajeel sighed, "Great now everyone is gonna give me crap."

It felt like only a second later the nurse exclaimed, "We've got a baby girl!" She stood and showed them over the curtain then quickly moved to take her to one of the warming beds.

"Alright Levy, you are doing great!" came Dr. Law's voice, "Just one more to go!"

Levy was overjoyed, she turned to Gajeel with a huge smile, "Did you hear that? A baby girl!"

Gajeel was watching the nurses get the baby tended to in the warming bed to Levy's right, "That's amazing. . ."

Levy felt a slight tugging and pulling on her upper abdomen as the doctor worked to get baby number two. She giggled, "That's weird it almost tickles."

Gajeel looked back at her and shook his head in disbelief, "It tickles? Fuck I really don't want to think about what's going on down there."

"You know, I love you," Levy said with a smile.

Gajeel chuckled, "I know Shorty, I love you too."

"Almost out," came Dr. Law's voice again. "And it looks like . . . it's a boy!"

Gajeel leapt to his feet, pumping a fist in the air, "Yes!" Unfortunately he got a good look at Levy's incision. He paled, breathed out "Shit," and promptly collapsed on the floor.

Levy tsked,"Oh Gajeel." She thought fuzzily that this should really bother her more than it does, but she laughed instead. Everything felt like a dream.

Her nurse laughed as she walked baby number two to the second warming bed, "We have at least one of these every week."

The anesthesiologist shook her head, "He shouldn't have stood. I did warn him."

"Alright Levy, we're going to get you closed up. The sooner we can get you out of here, the sooner we can get those babies with their mama!"

Levy clapped her hands with glee and looked over at her new little ones, squirming and fussing in their warming beds. She was a mommy!

* * *

Yukino looked through the walk in fridge, combining trays of muffins to make room for the crusts she had just finished. She loved the song that had come on, it reminded her of her childhood, it was her dance teacher's favorite for warmups. She sang along loudly, no one was in the bakery at the moment anyway, giving a big kicked as she danced her way out of the fridge. With a quick spin she turned towards the front of the bakery . . .where Sting stood at the counter watching her with a smile.

Yukino made a squeak of surprise and fell to the ground, completely mortified. How had she not heard the bell? Maybe she could just hide back here and he would forget he saw her. Or maybe she didn't see him at all, maybe she had imagined him?

"I don't know how to break this to you Yuki, but I can definitely still see you back there," rang out Sting's voice from the front. Yukino covered her eyes in shame and slowly stood up. She heard him chuckle, "I can also still see you when you cover your eyes." Yukino's cheeks were on fire, she lowered her hands to stare at him wide-eyed. She had never seen Sting grin so big.

Ever since she had spent the night two weeks ago, Sting seemed to have relaxed and was acting more like the guy she had met while making a cake for his friend Rufus' wedding. She had to admit, sometimes she didn't quite know how to respond to his confident teasing, flirting wasn't something she had a whole lot of practice in. "I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you come in!"

Sting laughed, "You don't have to apologize to me, you have a lovely voice. And those dance moves . . ."he made a pained expression, "smoking. Where did you learn to move like that? I didn't know you could do that."

Yukino slowly made her way to the front, trying to calm her breathing, "Well I used to do a lot of dance actually, when I was younger. My mother was a classically trained actor and my father was a concert cellist. The arts were very important to them."

Sting tilted his head, "So you play instruments too?"

"I play quite a few actually, but I like the viola best. My father had really high hopes that I would make a living doing that." Yukino smiled sadly.

He furrowed his brow, "But you chose baking instead?"

"Yes, I just couldn't handle all the auditioning and I didn't love it enough. It really helped that Sorano was doing so well in her singing and acting, took the spotlight off me. I think that's what drew Lucy and I together at school, we were both doing this because we loved it even without the support of our parents. Two years ago though, dad retired and my parents moved to the beach, they've really . . . mellowed." Yukino laughed, "It helps that my cakes are so pretty, then they feel like they can pretend it's another art form, like I'm doing sculptures instead of dessert foods."

"They really are works of art though," Sting said.

Yukino smiled with a tilt of her head, "Thanks Sting, that's so nice of you to say!"

"Well, I was going to see if you could take off for lunch with me, but I'm guessing from that performance that Lucy's not here?" Sting gave a cockeyed grin.

Yukino felt her cheeks burn, "Yes, Levy's having the babies today so Lucy ran off to the hospital."

"Well that's a shame," he stood up straight a ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, not that the babies are coming, it's a shame that you won't be able to come out with me."

Yukino smiled, "You can come hang out with me in the back if you want, I'm sure Lucy won't mind."

His face lit up, "Awesome."

"Do you need lunch? I could get you something, my treat," she offered. She started to head towards the back.

"That would be great, but only on one condition," Sting said as he followed her.

She turned back to him, "A condition?"

"You'll let me take you to dinner this weekend, like a proper date." He gave a breathy laugh, "Really I still owe you from when you brought me take out."

She looked up at him and smiled sweetly, "I'd really like that."

* * *

Lucy pulled up to the house exhausted but cheerful. She had left a happy Levy and Gajeel, with their new healthy pink newborns to run back to the bakery and finish decorating all her orders. Thank goodness Yukino had managed to bake all the shortbreads for her, otherwise it would have taken her all night. Lucy still had a lot of cooking to do, she needed to make sure the Redfox's freezer was full of easy to make dinners.

When she cut off her engine, Natsu popped out of the garage, grinning and waving. Lucy narrowed her eyes, he was definitely doing something she wasn't supposed to see in there. He was completely terrible at being sneaky, she would have to be strong and not peak.

"I hope you showered," she said with a smirk as she pulled herself out of her car.

Natsu looked offended, "Why would I shower? I'm not done doing stuff yet!"

Lucy's mouth dropped open, "Please tell me you're kidding."

He grinned, "I am. Come on, I couldn't even stand the smell of me, that's when you know it's bad." He pulled her into his arms and kissed the tip of her nose.

Lucy smiled, "Yes, that's much better," kissing him full on the lips.

Natsu looked down at her, "I may have rubbed my head on your pillow first though."

Lucy pushed away with a sound of disgust, "Natsu!" She stormed towards the house.

Natsu giggled with glee and bounced after her, "I said may, I said may." He leaned on the door frame as she worked on opening the knob, "What would be my punishment if I did?"

Lucy raised a brow, "Seriously Natsu?" She rolled her eyes and walked into the house, dropping her bag on the table by the door.

"Come on Lucy, I want to play. I barely got to see you at lunch with ol' carrot head there," Natsu pouted.

Lucy leaned on the kitchen counter and raised a brow, "You barely got to see me because you smelled like cat pee and you were trying to mark your territory with it." She stood up straight and tilted her head, "Does Loke really bother you Natsu? Do you want me to tell him to stop coming by?"

Natsu crossed his arms, "Why would Mr. hair gel bother me? I don't care."

Lucy clasped her hands behind her back and took a few steps towards him, "It didn't look like you didn't care earlier today."

Natsu scoffed, "Well I can't make it too easy for him. He might start thinking he has a chance at stealing you away. That would be such a bother for ya."

Lucy frowned, dropping her hands to her sides, "You don't really think that right? You know nobody's going to be able to steal me away, I'm not going anywhere."

Natsu swallowed deeply and looked at his feet, his face suddenly serious, "No, of course not."

Lucy walked over so that she stood right in front of him and could look right up into his eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Natsu, I'm not going anywhere."

He narrowed his eyes and breathed out deeply, "But what if. . ."

"No Natsu, there's no what if. I'm not going anywhere, this is where I belong. I don't want to be anywhere else." She smiled, "So I guess you're stuck with me."

He chuckled, "So you're all mine then?"

Lucy pulled him into a tight hug, "I'll always be yours."

He pulled back, placing a hand on either side of her face and looking down at her with hooded eyes. "Sometimes I feel like you're too good for me Luce."

She wrinkled her brow, "Well that's silly. Since obviously you're the best."

He chuckled softly and touched his forehead to hers, "Well of course, but I wasn't sure if you knew that."

Lucy closed her eyes and hummed happily, "I really love you Natsu."

"I love you too Lucy." He traced his fingers down under her chin, lifting her face to kiss her. She leaned into him, relishing in the way his arms fell to wrap around her waist and pull her close. Lucy knew for sure there was nowhere else she'd rather be.


	29. Unlucky Chocolate Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sting and Yukino go on a date, Natsu meets with Jude about a job, Levy and Gajeel recover from the C-section

* * *

 

Natsu took a deep breath before pulling himself out of his truck. Lucy's old house looked huge as usual, and he wasn't particularly excited about spending the next few hours alone with Jude. He slumped up the steps and rang the doorbell.

Spetto opened the door, a large grin on her face, "Oh Mr. Natsu! Mr. Heartfilia is waiting! I will let him know you are here!"

Natsu grinned uncomfortably, "Thanks Spetto, and really, it's just Natsu, you don't have to add on the mister."

"Such a joker Mr. Natsu," she patted his cheeks, "so handsome. Just a moment okay? I will go get the master." Natsu sighed, he was starting to think Spetto didn't listen to him at all.

Jude came down the hall with a big smile, "Natsu, thank you so much for coming by!" He shook Natsu's hand and then beckoned him to follow, "The room I want you to look at is just down here."

He opened the door to a room towards the back of the house that Natsu had never been in before. It was larger than even Natsu's garage and mostly empty, just a few pieces of furniture covered in cloth and pushed to the side. Jude motioned for Natsu to come in. "We're going to use this room for the Christmas party this year, and the floor has some water damage from over the summer. So I want to tear it out and get something new. I never liked the old floor any way, it was too light."

Natsu walked around the space, listening to the echo of his footsteps, still in disbelief that this was a room in a home. He turned to Jude, "This is a pretty big job Jude."

Lucy's father rubbed the back of his neck, "Yea, I should have called you in sooner. It just kept getting pushed back. Do you think you can do it? I'm not expecting a discount or anything of the sort. I want you to just price it like you always have, spare no expense. I'm not hiring you because you're Lucy's boyfriend, I want to hire you because you do good work."

Natsu stopped where the large water stain was in the middle of the space and looked at the ceiling, "Did you get the leak fixed?" He pulled a measuring tape and put a pencil behind his ear.

Jude nodded, "I had it fixed immediately, we haven't had any water since."

"So what exactly are you thinking you want in here?" Natsu asked as he began measuring the width of the room.

"I don't care, just darker, you can do whatever you like," Jude said with a shrug. Natsu had to restrain a laugh. It seemed like much too casual a motion for the man.

Natsu grinned, "There's a walnut that would be perfect in here. I can get you a sample if you like." He moved to start measuring the length of the room.

"No, that won't be necessary, I trust your judgment. Do you think this is something you could get done before the end of November?"

Natsu noted the other measurement into his notebook and tucked it all away in his pocket. "I'm not going to lie, it's going to be close. Our guy who is best at demo just had a twins and I'm not sure what kind of schedule he's going to have yet. Plus I have a few jobs before this so I won't be able to get started until after the middle of the month. Still. . . I'm sure we can get it done."

Jude smiled,"Wonderful! I'll let Spetto know that you guys might be in and out."

"I'll order the wood 'cause it will take at least a week to get here. It will need to sit and get used to the temperature and humidity for a couple days before I put it in. Will it be alright to have them deliver it in here?"

Lucy's father nodded, "Of course, we aren't using this room for anything, it won't be in the way."

They started towards the hall and Natsu couldn't help but ask,"Is there any reason you didn't tell Lucy about this? Is it some kind of secret?"

"Oh? No, not really. I just wanted to keep it professional, go through the correct channel." Jude opened the door to leave the room.

Natsu stood straight, recognizing it was now or never. He cleared his throat, "Jude, I'm going to ask Lucy to marry me."

Jude turned to look at him, "Is that right? So you're telling me then, not asking?"

Natsu swallowed and nodded, "Yes, since it won't be your decision, but Lucy's. I just thought I should let you know. . .out of respect."

Jude didn't say a word, he just turned around and headed out of the room.

Natsu wrinkled his nose in confusion, what the hell? Why were Lucy and her dad such weirdos? He hurried to catch up to the man. "You have nothing to say about that?"

Jude furrowed his brow and held up a finger, as if motioning Natsu to give him a minute. He continued down the hall, opening the door to his office.

Natsu was starting to get frustrated. He hadn't expected Lucy's father to jump for joy, but outright disapproval was the last thing he expected. "Jude, I know I'm probably not what you had in mind for a son-in-law, but I love Lucy and I know she loves me. She's the most important thing in my life and I will always put her first because that's what she deserves. And I'm sorry for not asking but that's bullshit, she's not a prize or something to be traded, Lucy's just Lucy. So if you don't approve, I don't care, I'm going to protect our future together no matter what."

"That was a very nice speech Natsu, but completely unnecessary," Jude smiled. He opened the top drawer and tossed a small box on top of the desk. "I'm not sure if you have already purchased a ring. If you haven't, Lucy would really like this one."

Still reeling from Jude's strange behavior, Natsu slowly stepped towards the desk and picked up the box. Inside he found a platinum ring with a large diamond abutted by small teardrop shaped sapphires. It was something he could never have afforded on his own. He looked up at Jude in confusion.

Lucy's father gave him a sad smile. "That's Layla's ring. I know you don't like me meddling in your affairs and you don't like taking my help, but could you do an old man a favor and take this one thing. I think it would mean a lot to Lucy."

"Yea, Lucy will like this a lot," Natsu grinned as he closed the box slowly and placed it in his pocket. "Thank you Jude."

Jude's smile widened, "It might be a little premature but, welcome to the family Natsu."

* * *

Yukino opened the door to Sting standing there with a nervous grin. He rocked on his heels with his hands in his pockets, "All set to go?"

"Is he out there? Yukino are you going to. . ." Yukino slipped out and shut the door, cutting off her sister's comments.

She grinned up at Sting, taking his hand and pulling him towards the car. They needed to hurry or Sorano might get the idea that she needed to step out and meet him. "Sorry that's just my sister, she's nosey."

"Are you keeping me a secret Yukino?" Sting asked with a teasing lilt to his tone.

Yukino held up her hands in defense, "No, no, I swear she already knows about you. It's just my sister can be a little . . .abrasive when you first meet her. I'd rather start the evening on a good note. We can save the awkward introduction for next time."

Sting laughed as he opened the door for her, "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

"I cannot believe that you didn't call me the second you found out you were having a c-section! I should have been there for support Levy! I could have held your hand!" Erza set the edible arrangement on the table next to her exhausted looking friend.

Levy gave a tired laugh, "Well Gajeel was there Erza. There wasn't really enough room in that operating room for anyone else and I didn't really want other people to watch me be cut open."

Erza tsked, "Gajeel, he couldn't even make it through the whole procedure!" She got a far off look in her eye, "I would have even been able to help pull the babies out, if the doctor had any trouble I could have saved the day. . . and the baby would look up at me . . ."

Jellal placed a hand on her shoulder, "Sorry Erza, I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty sure they don't let friends of the mother deliver the babies."

"Erza, really, I'm sorry. I am glad you are here now! I didn't mean for it to be this long before I got the word out but I spent all last night alternating between sleeping and being a human cow. We didn't know how things would go. The last thing we wanted if something went wrong was to have to face the entire neighborhood in the waiting room." She grabbed Erza's hand, "I was being a little bit selfish Erza, really I'm sorry."

"Well, I suppose you were entitled." Erza turned to look at the babies fondly, "Now which one is Scarlet."

Levy tilted her head and raised a brow, "Really Erza? I hope you don't actually think we named one of them that."

"What? It's a good name, it's even the name of well loved fictional character! It would be perfect for the little girl!"

Jellal smiled down at the sleeping little boy, "They are beautiful Levy, congratulations. Both with blue-hair as well!" He gave Levy a wink, "Means they will be extremely intelligent."

Levy chuckled, "Of course." She winced in pain.

It killed Erza to see her friend make that face, "What's wrong? Do you need pain meds? Should we get the nurse in here." She turned to Jellal, "Go track down the nurse immediately."

Levy held up a hand, "No, no really, don't bother. It's gas pain in my shoulders from the surgery, pain meds won't make it go away, I'll just have to wait it out."

"Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?" Erza asked.

Levy pointed to the gift Erza brought, "One of those pieces of melon would be amazing right now. The food here seems to get worse every meal. That's why I let Gajeel go, he needs to get some real food in him or he's going to waste away. I don't think he slept at all last night."

"Good, must be vigilant. Wouldn't want someone to walk off with one of the babies," Erza nodded. She handed Levy two slices of melon on a napkin.

"Yea . . .I don't really think that's an issue in hospitals anymore," Jellal grinned.

Gajeel came walking in the door. He looked terrible, with dark circles under his eyes, and hair slightly more out-of-control then usual. He flopped on the couch and managed a head nod, "Hey."

Erza crossed her arms, "I hear you fainted in the operating room."

He looked to Levy, throwing his hands up in disbelief, "You told them I passed out!"

Levy gave him an apologetic smile, trying to finish her bite of melon so she could speak. "I didn't . . .but the nurse did."

Gajeel threw his head back and groaned, "Damnit, now the whole world is going to know."

"It's alright man, I would probably pass out too if I saw Erza cut open." He shook his head and mouthed 'never' when Erza gave him an angry stare.

One of the babies began to cry and the other soon followed after, Gajeel looked over at Levy. "Let me guess, they've been sleeping peacefully the whole time I've been gone."

Levy chuckled, "Of course." Gajeel picked up one tiny baby gently and handed it over to Levy. Then he picked up the other and proceeded to bounce in place.

"You know, I wouldn't have believed it before, but this really suits you," Erza said with a smile.

Gajeel looked at her in surprise, "Ya think so?" He looked down at the tiny human in his arms, a smile growing on his face, "Well they are cute for such ugly little things."

"Gajeel!" Levy exclaimed.

"What? They'll get cuter, but right now he looks like my old man but tiny, it's weird." Gajeel laughed, then quickly switched to a shushing noise when his laughter startled the baby and made it cry.

"Well I suppose we should get going so Makarov and Cana can come in," Erza smiled at Levy. "Congratulations, you guys will be wonderful parents." She smiled even wider, "Even if you aren't naming one of them Scarlet."

* * *

They were halfway to the restaurant when Sting heard the awful boom and flap, flap, flap of a tire going flat. He pulled to the side of the road and banged his head on his steering wheel. "Of all the times. . ."

"Is everything okay? Was that your tire?" Yukino bent forward to try and see the rear of the car out her window.

Sting slumped back and gave a forced grin. "Sure sounded like it. Looks like we're going to have a delay."

He hopped out of the car to examine the rear tire on the passenger side, it was definitely popped. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, then went to open the trunk. He could do this, Sting had never changed a tire before, but it had looked simple enough when Orga did it. He pulled the spare out of the trunk and grabbed the wrench that was stored beneath it.

Yukino climbed out of the car and stood next to him. "Oh dear Sting, what bad luck! I hope they can fix it! Tires are so expensive."

"Yea, well we can just use the spare for now, we aren't going far," he started turning the nuts. He had them all loose and was about to remove the top nut when Yukino tapped his shoulder.

She restrained a giggle, "Ummm Sting?"

He looked up at her, enjoying the pretty smile on her face, "Yea?"

Yukino went to the trunk and pulled out a small crank looking device, "Shouldn't you lift the car with the jack first?"

Sting pressed his lips and blew out his cheeks, of course he would already forget a step. Yukino was going to think he was a moron. "Oh! I guess I was so frustrated I forgot. Silly me."

Yukino handed him the jack. "Do you need help? I've had to change a couple myself, I could do it for you even if you like."

Sting couldn't help but feel slightly insulted, even if he had missed a completely obvious step in replacing the tire. "No way! I couldn't have you change my tire! You're in a dress for Pete's sake!" He sputtered. He bent back under the car trying to figure out where to put the jack. He sighed and slumped in defeat, he had no clue what he was doing. He peeked up at Yukino timidly "sooo . . ."

She smiled "Just put in under the metal part of the underside of the car and pump it up. Make sure it's not under any of the molded plastic. There's probably a spot right in front of the wheel well."

Sting sighed and followed her direction. "I'll admit it. I've never had to do this before. Absolutely embarrassing to have you watch me mess up my first attempt." He laughed and with the car properly lifted, looked up at her with a grin, "How about you walk me through it? You can be my coach."

Yukino giggled, "Of course, I'm happy to help. You've probably already figured it out, but now that you have it jacked up you can start removing the nuts. . ."

* * *

The bar was still empty, the restaurant just starting fill up. Cana was making a few mojitos for a table of women on a ladies night out. Mira took her by surprise by hopping on the bar stool in front of her. "How's it going Cana? Ready for a Saturday night?"

"You know it," Cana said, shaking the cocktail shaker next to her head.

"Bacchus should be in soon right? It's a good thing we are having a slow start night tonight." Mira turned and looked over the crowd in the dining area. "Next week lets place an ad. We can get another bartender in here so you guys could have a break every once and a while."

"Only if you're ready, don't do more than you can handle on my account. I'm doing just fine." Cana poured the mix into four glasses, then splashed club soda over top.

"Well, don't you and Bacchus want time off together every once and a while," Mira looked up at Cana with a smile.

Cana's face dropped, of course Mira would be on to them. She concentrated hard on putting the decorative mint at the top of each glass. She then took her time setting them on a tray for Kinana before answering quietly, "No, we don't do that kind of thing."

Mira frowned, "Oh, I'm sorry, is Bacchus not really a dating kind of guy?"

Cana sighed, she lifted a hand to get Kinana's attention to let her know the drinks were ready. "No Mira . . .I'm not a dating kind of girl."

"Oh . . ." This seemed to make Mira sad, she furrowed her brow and tilted her head. "Are you sure Cana?"

Cana glared at Mira. This was not the way she wanted to start the evening. She didn't have a mom, but she certainly didn't need Mira to try and be one for her. The poor woman was probably already daydreaming about Bacchus and Cana babies. Cana nodded her head firmly, "Yes Mira, I am definitely sure."

"Okay, if you say so," Mira turned back to look out at the crowd.

Cana frowned, she wondered if Bacchus had spoken to Mira about them, but it wouldn't be like him to. Just a strange coincidence. He had just tried to convince her that they should go get lunch sometime and she had turned him down. All she could really handle right now was working together and spending the night together. Spending the day together as well would make this a real relationship and that was something she wasn't sure she could handle. At the moment she could just pretend this was some extended booty call. Cana had to admit, by the end of the work night her body practically hummed with anticipation of what they were going to do when they got off work, but that was just sex. It wasn't like she was excited to be alone with him or anything. Cana sighed, she didn't understand why he put up with her issues.

"Mira, how do you do it?" Cana asked.

Mira turned back to her with a confused expression, "Do what Cana?"

"Put up with Laxus' shit. I mean you want a family and babies, and all the stuff that comes with it. He's just barely handling a date at the movies. He's so screwed up." Cana took a piece of paper with a new drink order on it from Kinana and smiled when the waitress took the mojitos.

When she turned back to Mira, Mira was tapping her lips thoughtfully. She breathed out loudly, blowing out her cheeks, then tilted her head. "You know Cana, it's probably because I'm just as messed up as he is."

Cana laughed as she began throwing ice in glasses for the new order. "You are not messed up Mira."

"But I am. I want to take care of everyone. Luckily that crazy side works out for us, because no one needs it more than Laxus. I think it started when mom and dad died, and I realized I would have to work hard to make sure my siblings could still be kids. It made me so happy to help them, but I kinda gave up the end of my youth in the process. When Laxus and I first started sneaking around, it was just so fun. I had spent so much time being an adult and responsible, that I forgot that I was still young too, you know. So in his own way he gave me something I needed." Mira sighed and began pushing back her cuticles. "I really love him, I don't want anyone else. Even if a relationship with him is slow going."

Cana poured scotch in one glass, vodka in another, adding tonic to the top of the vodka, and set them on another tray. "Caring for others is not messed up, it's being a good person."

Mira laughed, "I suppose you could say that. Really it's more like I rarely take care of myself and I can't stop from meddling in the lives of my friends. Seriously though, Laxus can have all the time he needs. I know he loves me and he's trying. If I tried to rush him into things he wasn't ready for, it could damage our relationship, ruin the trust he has for me. And as you know, I tried to be with someone else, I tried to settle for something different. It doesn't work, 'cause I just want Laxus."

Cana was about to ask something else but Bacchus walked in the door, his whistling capturing her attention. He gave her a big grin and wink, then headed to the back to put away his coat. She couldn't help but grin, he was such an idiot.

When Cana turned back to her friend, Mira had a secret smile. "Don't worry Cana, I don't think he feels like he's putting up with you. I think he's quite happy with what you're able to give."

Cana rolled her eyes, "Don't you have customers to go check on?"

Mira stood and wiggled her eyebrows, "Want a little alone time before it gets busy huh?"

Cana sighed, "You're incorrigible."

Mira giggled, "So you can dish it out, but you can't take it huh?"

Bacchus came up behind her. It felt like all the hair on Cana's body stood on end when he said, "Can't take what?"

"Hey Bacchus, is your friend all settled in his new place?" Mira asked, deftly changing the subject. Though Cana could tell from her friend's mischievous smile, she was enjoying Cana's discomfort a little too much.

"Yea, all set. Thanks for letting me come in late."

"No problem," Mira smiled, and with a wink at Cana, she disappeared into the dining area.

"Has it been really busy?" Bacchus asked, leaning against the back of the bar.

"No, lucky for you it's been a rare late start here," Cana turned to him with a smile.

"You look hot tonight," his eyes swept up her body and he bit his lip with a grin. "You know, after work, I can make up for being late."

Cana laughed, "I'm sure you can tiger."

* * *

By the time they limped the car to the restaurant, they were half an hour late for Sting's reservations. Yukino could tell he was agitated because he was having trouble standing still while they waited for their turn to speak with the hostess. She reached out and grabbed his hand, hoping it would help calm him. He looked down at her with a small smile, his body noticeably relaxing, and gave her hand a little squeeze.

The hostess seemed bored when they reached her. "Uh, we had a reservation, under Eucliffe?" Sting said as more of a question than a statement.

She looked at her list and frowned, "You are too late, sorry we can't seat you."

Sting looked completely shocked, "What?"

The hostess gave him a fake smile, "You are half an hour late, there are no tables available. Try to be on time next time."

Sting slowly breathed out his nose and licked his lips before attempting a smile, "Look, we had some car trouble, it couldn't be helped. Can we just wait for a table to open up?"

The woman shook her head, "No, sorry sir, we are completely booked tonight."

"You've got to be kidding me! Your restaurant isn't even full right now!" Sting exclaimed.

"Sorry sir, we have to be fair to the people who are on time for their reservations," the hostess said with a smirk.

Sting turned bright red, pursed his lips, and curled his hands into tight fists. Worried about what he might say next, Yukino grabbed his arm with a small smile, and pulled him down to her. She whispered in his ear "It's okay, forget that mean girl. Let's find somewhere else."

Sting blushed and nodded. He turned to walk out with Yukino, but not without giving the hostess the stink eye first.

* * *

How was everywhere packed! Sting was starting to feel like the whole world was against him tonight. The shortest wait they found was an hour long. Finally they gave up and went to a food truck. They sat on a nearby park bench to eat the massive slices of pizza and drink their cans of soda. Sting had to restrain a groan, they would have been better off doing this at his apartment.

He laughed nervously, "When I said I was gonna take you to dinner, this is not what I had in mind."

Yukino just grinned, bouncing in her seat happily, "I don't mind this is fun!" She took a big bite of her pizza, struggling to keep the grease from dripping down her hands. She was so adorable.

Sting folded his slice in half, "Well, we could at least go get some ice cream. There's a good place down the street."

"Oh Sting, I'm sorry, I hate ice cream. That sounds terrible," Yukino said before taking another bite.

Sting looked at her eyes wide in shock, who doesn't like ice cream? "Umm what? I mean really? I. . .I guess we could find something else . . ."

She placed a hand on his thigh, "Sting, I'm kidding! Who doesn't like ice cream?" She giggled, "I'm sorry I was trying to make a joke to lighten the mood. I guess I'm not very good at that."

"How was I supposed to know? Everything else seems to have gone wrong." Sting laughed, "You certainly got me there Yukino, but I should warn you, I will get my revenge."

She pretended to be afraid, "Revenge?"

He gave her a cockeyed grin, "Yep, you should watch your back, it will come when you least expect it." He took a large bite.

Yukino looked at her back with a frown, "Well this will never do, if I'm watching this all night I'll be tripping over everything." She looked at him with a grin. He wished he had the courage to kiss her right then, but of course, he had a mouthful of pizza.

* * *

When Natsu got home, the house smelled amazing. Lucy was humming in the kitchen, casserole pan after casserole pan lining the counter, all full of different kinds of dinners. He could just feel his saliva glands begin to work in overdrive.

She turned and smiled, "Hey Natsu did you have a good day?" When she noticed his wide-eyed stare at the food on the table she shook a finger, "No way mister. This food is food Gajeel and Levy, no touching!"

Natsu slumped, mouth open in dismay, "Not one bite! That's not fair. Having all this food out and telling me I can't have any is like torture!"

She picked up a spoon and began stirring some sauce. "I'm dead serious Natsu, our dinner is in the oven. Don't touch any of Levy's food."

Natsu frowned, stupid lucky Gajeel got to have all that good stuff. He walked into the kitchen and came over to wrap his arms around Lucy from behind, kissing her on the cheek when she turned her head to smile his way. "Shouldn't I at least make sure they aren't poisoned?" he murmured into her ear.

"Natsu! No!" Lucy commanded. She playfully pushed him off.

"Well they might be terrible, did you think of that?" Natsu bent over to sniff the lasagna, then stood straight and looked longingly at the chicken pot pie.

"That's just a risk I'm going to have to take Natsu," Lucy chuckled. "No tasting. Don't be greedy, your dinner is almost done."

Natsu pouted, "What do I get?"

"I had leftover noodles so I made you a lasagna too," Lucy pointed to the oven. "Just ten more minutes see?"

Natsu pumped a fist in the air, "Yes!" He ran over to turn the light on so he could see his dinner cooking in the oven. "Lucy! That lasagna is tiny! Why does Gajeel get the big one?"

Lucy turned and put her hands on her hips,"Because Levy and Gajeel aren't going to have the energy for cooking for a long time!"

"But Levy and Gajeel never have the energy for cooking, the craziest thing they ever cook comes from the frozen section," Natsu whined.

Lucy snorted, "Says the man who thought English muffin pizzas were a complicated homemade dinner."

"Hey, those are delicious!" He pulled her into a big hug and then looked down at her with a grin. "Your stuff is better though. Did you have a good day?"

She rested her head on his chest with a happy hum. "It wasn't too bad, I let Yukino go early so she could go on her date but the afternoon was pretty quiet."

"You know we haven't been out on a real date in a long time," Natsu said.

Lucy looked up and grinned, "Is it bad that I'm okay with that?"

"Nah, it's part of what makes me love you so much. Why go out all the time when you cook better than most the restaurants we could go to?" Natsu pushed a stray hair from her face and gave her a big smile. "Just remember to let me know if I ever seem to take too much advantage of that. Deal?"

She raised up on tiptoe to rub her nose against his, "Deal." Then she kissed him to seal it.

* * *

The ice cream shop was closed for the season. Sting banged his head on the door. "You've got to be kidding me! It's still warm out, how are they closed! How can I be so unlucky?"

Yukino touched his arm, "It's probably me, I do tend to be a bad luck charm."

Still turned and gave her a tired smile, "There's no way I could possibly believe that Yukino."

Yukino turned to look down the street, trying to figure out exactly where they were, "Your place is near here isn't it?"

He propped himself up, "Yea?"

She turned back to him, "Is there a grocery store nearby that is open still?"

"Of course."

Yukino grinned real big, "Take me there. Then we can go to your place and make dessert."

Sting looked excited, "Really? You'll bake something with me?"

"Of course, it's what I do after all."

Buying groceries had also turned into buying bake-ware, since Sting realized he pretty much had none. They settled on making brownies with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge, since it would be simple, fast, and hard to mess up. Sting was still convinced that something else would go horribly wrong, Yukino assured him that it wouldn't.

They opened the bottle of wine and Sting remembered he didn't own a single wine glass. Yukino laughed and pulled out two mismatched mugs. Then, of course, the second Sting opened the cocoa it exploded in his face. After that he dropped half the eggs on the floor. Yukino made him sit on a stool and watch her at that point. He couldn't say he minded, she was so focused on mixing up the batter that she didn't notice him staring. Really, he had the best seat in the house, he could drink his wine, steal chocolate chips, and watch her graceful curves as she moved about his kitchen. Maybe he wasn't so unlucky after all.

Brownie batter finished and in the oven, Yukino turned to him with a triumphant smile on her face. "Just twenty minutes and we'll be in chocolate heaven." She ran the spatula around in the mixing bowl and licked it happily, "This is the best part, I can't do this at work."

Sting frowned, "You're going to share right?"

Yukino got a mischievous look in her eye, "I don't know, you might spill it all over the floor if I let you have some, and I did do all the work . . ." She licked the spatula again, this time making exaggerated noises about it's deliciousness.

Sting set down his mug and stood, "Hey, that's not fair."

Yukino giggled and turned away from him, "Actually, it's pretty terrible, you probably don't want any. Really I'm doing you a favor."

Sting came up behind her, wrapping one arm around her waist and the other grabbing the hand with the spatula to guide it to his mouth for a bite. "You are such a liar, that tastes amazing!"

She turned in his arms with a blush, "But it has raw eggs, you could get sick or something terrible!" She stole the spatula back, "You shouldn't have any until it's been properly tested."

Sting chuckled and shook his head. She was so cute he couldn't help himself. He quickly closed the distance and kissed her. Yukino dropped the mixing bowl and the spatula to the floor. He pulled away with a grin, looking at the chocolate spatter all across the floor. "I just can't stop making messes today." Sting looked up at her to see Yukino staring at him, wide-eyed with surprise, a hand to her lips.

After a pregnant pause, Sting started to think that maybe he had overstepped his bounds. "Did I read that wrong? Sorry, Yukino I didn't mean to just attack you, especially if you didn't want me to."

Yukino looked at him as if she had just realized he was there. "No . . . no, please don't apologize, it was very nice. I've just never been kissed before, I didn't expect it." She looked down at the floor, "Oh dear, that did make a very big mess."

"What? How can that be possible?" Sting sputtered.

"I dropped it on the floor?" Yukino bent to pick up the bowl and spatula.

Sting chuckled, "No Yukino, obviously I know how the mess got there." He gently took the items out of her hands and tossed them in the sink. "I just find it amazing that no one has ever kissed you before."

Yukino turned bright red, "Well I guess just no one's ever wanted to."

"That I have even more trouble believing."

"Well, my parents didn't let me date and I was busy with school. I always had lots of extracurriculars to balance with my homework. Then at the job before this one, I worked such crazy hours I didn't have time to date, not that I would have even known where to start." Yukino frowned, "Honestly this last year has been the first time in my life that I've ever had any free time before."

Sting furrowed his brow, "Somehow that just seems sad."

Yukino laughed self-consciously, "Well that's why I've been such a dork about all the places you've taken me. Everything has been so new for me." She licked her lips and smiled nervously, "I don't suppose . . .that maybe." She frowned and looked at her feet, "I guess I ruined it with that weird reaction, you won't want to do that again."

Sting gave her a slanted grin and stepped close, using one hand on the small of her back to pull her close, the other to gently lift her chin, and he gave her a lingering kiss. He hated to end it but knew he'd have to go slow. So instead of running his hands all over her feverishly and deepening the kiss like he wanted to, he pulled back and looked her in the eye. He was dead serious when he said, "I'm always going to want to do that again."

* * *

The following afternoon, Levy was struggling her way back to her bed, when a nurse threw open the door to their room with a big smile, "You guys get to go home today!"

Levy gave the woman a look of panic, "What? Today? Are you sure we are ready?"

Gajeel stood from his place on the couch, "You guys are really going to let us take these babies home? Levy can still barely walk."

The nurse waved them off, "You guys will be fine, that's just jitters. Those babies are healthy and strong, and mama here will be able to run around in no time." She turned to Levy with a serious face, finger up in warning, "But no running yet, no heavy lifting, no pushing it too hard. I mean it. You don't want to get any hernias."

Levy laughed humorlessly and leaned on the bed, "No pushing it too hard? You say that like it's an easy thing."

"You got this mama, don't you worry," the nurse gave Levy another big smile. She turned to Gajeel, "Now Mr. Redfox, you go downstairs and get the carseats so we can help you get these babies situated. I'll have Levy sign the paperwork and we can get you all packed up and on your way home!"

Just as Gajeel went to leave, Lucy and Natsu came walking in. "I brought you some mini muffins," Lucy lifted a basket with a grin.

The nurse patted Levy on the shoulder and set the paperwork down on the table, "You read through this, I'll be back in fifteen in case you have any questions okay?"

Levy grimaced, "Okay." The nurse disappeared into the hall.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked, her eyebrows wrinkled with concern.

Levy sat on her bed with a sigh. "It's time to go home."

"Well that's great!" Natsu exclaimed, strolling over to get a good look at the sleeping infants.

"I guess, it just feels fast. Doesn't it seem fast?" Levy started chewing on her thumbnail.

"Levy, you guys have been here for two days! I'm sure if the doctors think you are ready, you are ready," Lucy gave Levy a hug. "Natsu and I can help you guys get the babies home, I was going to head to your place after to deliver the food anyway."

"You made me food Lu?" Levy smiled.

"Of course silly, what are friends for? We can make sure everything at the house is all ready for you guys. Natsu can help hold babies, he's weirdly good with babies."

Natsu grinned, "They just like me."

Levy laughed, "Probably because you're just a big kid yourself."

"Did you guys finally settle on a name?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, they came by to do the birth certificates this morning. It was hard to pick, but their names are Shutora and Yajeh."

"Those are great names!" Lucy said, turning to look at the sleeping babies with a smile.

Natsu was right up in the little boys face, "Wow, they are so small!"

"Natsu, don't wake them!" Lucy hissed. She turned to Levy, "Okay Levy, what do we need to get pulled together for you?"

Levy directed them in how they could help her and gave a sigh of relief when she picked up the paperwork to look it over. She was so lucky to have such thoughtful friends, thank goodness for well timed visits.


	30. When Ends are New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a regular Saturday night, but Natsu is acting antsy

Gray opened his eyes to a sea of blue locks. He sighed deeply and pulled Juvia closer. She was so warm and she smelled sweet, like honeysuckle after a long rain. He wished he could stay here all day, wrapped up in her and buried beneath her comforters, but he had put it off long enough, he had to go by his place. Gray frowned, lately he hated going back to that building.

It had been four days since he had been home. He probably had a huge stack of junk mail stuck in his mail box. If it weren't for the mail, it would probably be weeks before he went back, the only other thing waiting for him there was dust. Everything he needed was here with Juvia. Gray could remember a time where that apartment felt like his safe place, but now it just felt cold, empty, and lonely.

A few weeks ago Juvia went out of town for a few days due to a training seminar for work. After two days, Gray couldn't take it anymore, he used her spare key and tucked himself into her bed. It had been a poor substitute, but it smelled like her and was so much better than his hard, unwelcoming mattress. He always thought he liked the firm bed and colorless sheets, but Juvia's bed, with it's soft pillowtop, and thick comforters, was like sleeping on a cloud, a fluffy, Juvia-scented cloud. He could even forgive her for having too many throw pillows.

Juvia began to stretch in his arms making small noises as she woke. She smiled and twisted in his arms, kissing him on the lips gently, "Good morning Gray-sama." Then she burrowed herself into his neck, sighing a happy little sigh.

He grinned, she was so adorable. Thinking back to the fact that he would have to leave, Gray drew his brows together and frowned. Juvia pulled her head back and blinked at him, "Is everything okay Gray-sama?"

"I don't want to go back to my place," Gray said, shifting his eyes down to her.

Juvia yawned and rubbed her eyes, "Then don't go today, you could always go get your mail tomorrow."

"No, I mean like, I don't understand why I even bother to keep that place," Gray clarified.

Juvia's eyes widened, "Is Gray-sama saying he wants to move in with Juvia?"

Gray's cheeks reddened, "Well, yea, I mean . . .that's basically what I'm doing anyway right? Would you want me to live here?"

Juvia squealed and leapt on top of him, kissing him all over his face, "Juvia is so happy!"

Gray chuckled and caught her by the sides of the face, stopping her onslaught by taking her lips with his. He ran his hands through her hair and down her back. When he let her go, she sat up slightly dazed, looking down at him through hooded eyes. He gave her a lopsided grin, "So I'll take that as a yes?"

Juvia leapt from the bed and hopped around the room, "Yes, yes, yes! Juvia wants Gray-sama with her always!" She stopped for a moment and grinned at him, "Juvia will make a big breakfast! We must celebrate! And let's go to dinner tonight! A whole day of celebration!"

Gray chuckled at her over-the-top display of excitement. Then when she came close, he grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her back on top of him. "If we're going to have a day of celebration, let's start it off right."

She gave a serious nod, "Of course, Gray-sama knows best."

He pulled her close, unable to stop grinning when he kissed her, "Damn right I do."

* * *

 

"Are you sure you're okay with closing up on your own tonight?" Lucy asked Yukino after she finished putting her bags away and tying on an apron.

"Of course!" Yukino grinned. "You've been closing almost every Saturday now so that I could go spend time with Sting. It's definitely your turn for a night out."

"Well it's not like we're going anywhere fancy, Natsu just wants to take me to Mira's because it's been a year since he came to fix the oven."

Yukino clapped her hands, "That is adorable!"

"I know! Isn't it? I wouldn't have thought he would remember a date like that," Lucy chuckled. "He's always surprising me."

"You should get all dressed up, who cares if it's just Mira's." Yukino pulled out a scale and a container so that she could start weighing flour.

"You know, I think I will!" Lucy grinned, "Natsu probably won't notice the difference, but it definitely makes me happy to look pretty."

"You're so silly Lucy, I'm pretty sure he notices more than you think," Yukino said with a wink.

* * *

 

Sting opened one eye and looked at the clock. It was only ten on a Saturday and some nutjob was pounding on his door. He threw his head back on his pillow and groaned. He had been really hoping to get every minute of sleep he possibly could this morning. Last weekend Yukino ended up spending the night and, though all he could do was kiss her and hold her close, it was the best night he had had in a long time. He was hoping for a repeat tonight, but it would mean having an early morning the next day. Yukino was up by nine and ready to get the day started. If only they were at the point in their relationship where he could use certain methods to keep her in bed. He closed his eyes and grinned, slowly starting to fall back asleep with thoughts of convincing Yukino to stay beneath the covers.

He was jolted awake again when the knocking became louder and accompanied with Rogue calling out his name. Sting rolled out of bed with a growl, stumbling his way towards the door, "Fuck Rogue, I'm coming. Chill out."

When he opened the door Rogue came flying in, a massive grin on his face, "I have the most fantastic news!"

Sting rubbed his eyes and yawned, "It couldn't wait another hour or two?"

Rogue rolled his eyes, "Sting, you are an adult, it's already ten am. Suck it up, go get some coffee."

Sting groaned and dragged himself to the kitchen. "Fine, what's the news?"

"Remember the bid we put in months ago to revamp the internet presence of Iris International?"

Sting dumped grounds into his coffee maker and added water, "Yea, man that was almost half a year ago."

"Well, they got back to me last night, they want us to come in as consultants starting in January. We will work with the tech team on setting up their website, getting them on facebook and twitter, and implementing systems to maintain these things after we leave. She said if they like our work they might bring us in annually to update."

Sting blinked, "What? Really?"

"Yes!" Rogue grinned really big, "The pay is going to be out of this world and this will be a huge gold star on our company's resume. Can you imagine the jobs that will come our way if we can pull this off?"

"Wait, they want us to come in? Like go to Crocus?"

Rogue pulled two mugs out of the cabinet and set them next to the coffee maker. He grinned from ear to ear, Sting had never seen the man look so happy. "Yes, they said it would be about six months, but they will put us up in one of their townhomes and cover the cost of our rent for our apartments here. We couldn't ask for a better deal than that! Six months of great pay, no housing costs; I'm going to be able to get a new car after this one!"

Sting fell back against the counter and covered his face with his hands, "Six months of living in Crocus!"

"Yes!" Rogue finally really looked at Sting and his smile fell. "Wait, how are you not more excited about this?"

Sting sighed and filled his mug with the just finished coffee. He took a sip and burned his tongue. He set the mug down angrily, this was already turning into a very frustrating day. "Rogue, that's six months of living in Crocus. Crocus is four hours away! Just when things were going so well with Yukino. What if she doesn't want to deal with long distance?"

Rogue made a tsking sound. "Surely that won't bother her. She doesn't seem like the type of girl to expect you to choose between her and your career, that's ridiculous."

Sting rubbed his face, "She's not but . . ." he threw his hands up in exasperation, "four hours!"

Rogue placed a supportive hand on his friend's shoulder, "It's just six months, and it will do wonders for our business. You know I can't do this without you, I'm a disaster when I try to speak in front of people I don't know. I'm sure once we get started it will be over before you know it! Plus, four hours is not too far to come home for the weekend every once and a while, right?"

"Right, right, just six months," Sting gave a sad smile. "I should be happy so yay, good for us," he shook his fists in the air unenthusiastically.

Rogue gave him a pat on the back and helped himself to coffee, "That's the spirit."

* * *

 

Cana awoke, squinting up at the sunshine pouring through the window. Bacchus was out of sight, but she could hear the sink running and the sound of him brushing his teeth. She narrowed her eyes in the direction of the bathroom and called out, "Do you have a toothbrush here now?"

Bacchus didn't answer, but she heard the noises of him his mouth and splashing water on his face. Then he came out of the bathroom and leaned up against the door frame with a grin, "Let me guess, that freaks you out?"

Cana wrinkled her brow and made a noise of disgust, "I never said it freaked me out, I just wanted to make sure you weren't using mine. That would be gross."

He acted surprised, "Really? Well damn, I've been using it all this time."

Cana sat up, "You have not!"

"Of course I haven't," he chuckled walking into the kitchen area of her studio. He turned on the coffee maker and rubbed his face. "What's got you all wound up this morning? It's just a toothbrush."

"But that means you know you're coming back. . ." she sighed, stretching her arms over her head.

He stormed back towards the bed, "No, that means I hope I'm coming back. Shit, Cana it's not like I took one of your drawers and put a bunch of clothes in there. I'm not trying to move in or anything, I just want to be able to clean my mouth, sue me. Don't worry, you can still kick me out when you're done with me."

Cana wrinkled her nose, "Relax Sparky, don't get so defensive. I didn't say I didn't like it." She stood and walked right past his surprised face into the bathroom. She poked her head out, "And for the record, if you lived with me and pissed me off, I would still kick you out."

Bacchus chuckled and leaned against the wall outside the bathroom, laying his head back up against it and grinning while he chewed his lower lip. He turned his head towards the doorway and called, "So does this mean you'll come have lunch with me today?"

Cana snorted, "I don't know, depends, are you buying?"

His grin grew into a full smile and he sauntered into the bathroom. He slid his hands from her hips to her stomach, gently peppering kisses on her shoulder and neck. "Yea, I'm buying," he murmured, catching her eyes in their reflection in the mirror and giving her a slanted smirk.

* * *

 

Erza frowned down at the seating chart, "This isn't going to work, I don't know where I'm going to put your Uncle Crawford. "

Jellal didn't even look up from his book, "Then don't invite him."

"But we have to invite him, he's your family!" Erza protested.

He turned a page, "So what, he's an angry, bitter old man. When he isn't telling racist jokes, he's telling sexist ones. Why should we have to deal with the headache of what to do with him?"

"You're sure he can't go with your parents, or maybe one of your other aunts or uncles?" Erza tried moving a couple names around, then wrinkling her nose, she put them back.

Jellal looked up from his book and slammed it closed. "You know exactly why he can't, Grandpa died and he tried to screw each and every one of them out of their inheritance. Seriously Erza, now that I think about it, I don't want him there. Don't invite him."

"But . . .but . . .but . . ." Erza stared down at the board, looking at Jellal's side and then her own. He had all these blood relatives; parents, aunts, uncles, cousins. He had so many that he thought nothing of kicking one out. Erza frowned, she didn't have a single one. Then she was surprised to feel Jellal's hands move down her arms, as he leaned down to rest his chin on her shoulder and look over her efforts.

Jellal grabbed the little slip of paper with his uncle's name on it and tossed it aside, "Erza, just because we share a bloodline, doesn't mean he has to be there. He is not family to me. You are family to me, these guys," he pointed at the table with Makarov and her adoptive siblings at it, "and these guys," he motioned to the table of his friend, "are family to me. Obviously, I want my parents there, but other than that I couldn't care less if you invited any other Fenandezes."

"But they are all your relatives, they are important!" Erza exclaimed.

"Erza," Jellal sighed into her hair. "The only person I care about being with that day is you. Seeing you is all that matters to me."

She turned her head to him and kissed him. Erza pulled away with a smile, "Then I will be sure to be there." Jellal grinned and strode back to his book, stopping suddenly when Erza said, "While I do appreciate your sweet words, saying nice things isn't going to get you out of helping me set up a seating chart. We won't invite your uncle, but I won't leave out the rest of your family just so you don't have to do any work."

He turned back to her with a smile, "Damn, you saw right through me huh?"

She winked, "I'm watching you Fernandez."

* * *

 

"Shooby-doobi-doobi do, baby one and baby two." Gajeel sang as picked up Yajeh from the bouncer seat and placed him on the changing table, "Whew! Made a little doodoo,." Gajeel smiled when the baby gurgled happily back at him, then proceeded to change Yajeh's diaper with a look of disgust. Shutora happily sucked on her tiny fist in the swing next to them.

Levy wandered into the room, rubbing her eyes. She giggled, "That's a nice song Gajeel." He met her half way when she stood on tippy toes to give him a kiss. "Thank you for letting me nap, I needed it so bad."

"Well, I wouldn't want ya falling asleep at the table when we go out tonight, gihihi," Gajeel grinned.

Levy frowned, "Do you really think they are ready for us to be gone for the evening?"

"Don't do that," Gajeel warned.

"Do what?" she walked over and took Yajeh off the table.

"Get all overprotective and worried, it's not good for you or them. Ya gotta take some time for you or you're gonna go crazy. Hell Shrimp, I need some time alone with you or _I'm_ gonna to go crazy." Gajeel looked down at Shutora and smiled, "They are cute and all, but papa needs some lovin' too."

Levy laughed, "We're just going to dinner."

He crossed his arms and smirked down at her, "Ya think so?" When all she did is stare up at him confused, he leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I'm totally fucking you in the truck before we get home."

Levy's face turned bright red, "Gajeel!"

He just grinned and gave her a light smack on the ass, "Just thought I'd give ya a warning." He put his hands in his pockets and sauntered out of the room. "Shooby-dooby-dooby-do, A man's gotta do what he needs to do." He turned and pointed in her direction, "'specially when it comes to lovin' you, my sexy girl with hair of blue." Then he disappeared into the rest of the house.

Levy sighed and shook her head, then smiled down at her little boy, "Your daddy is a mess."

* * *

 

Yukino stepped into Sting's apartment with a smile, then was surprised when Sting slammed the door behind her and grabbed her. His kisses up until this point had been gentle and sweet, but this time his lips were full of desperation and passion. She struggled to stay upright, her entire body seemed to fall into him, it's response to his touch instinctual and out of control. It almost frightened her how badly she suddenly wanted him, she had never felt it so strongly before.

However, when she pulled away, it was obvious that something was wrong. There was a sadness darkening his usually bright eyes. Desire tucked away, she touched his cheek, "What's the matter Sting?"

His response was to hug her, this time he was gentle, holding her close and resting his chin on her shoulder. Sting sighed deeply, "I have to go away for a while, starting in January."

Yukino frowned, he had to go away? She had started getting used to spending most of her time with him. Whether they hung out here, at her sister's, or went out with the guys; every night involved him. Last weekend she had finally spent the night, and the prospect of doing that again was so exciting she couldn't sit still on the whole drive over.

Sting noticed her silence, he lifted his head to look at her, "I didn't scare you with that kiss did I? I've been freaking out about telling you all day and you looked so beautiful and I have to leave you . . ."

Realizing he needed her reassurance, she smiled and ran her fingers through his hair, "No Sting, you didn't scare me. It was nice. Why do you have to go?"

He took her hand and led her to the living room area, sitting on the couch and pulling her down with him. Sting cleared his throat, "Before you and I started seeing each other, Rufus got Rogue and I an interview for a job consulting for this big company in Crocus on how to improve their web presence. The guy they hired did not work out, so they called and offered it to us."

"Well that's great!" Yukino cheered. "Won't that be so good for your company?"

"Yes, it's awesome for us, but it means six months in Crocus." he leaned back on the couch and ran a hand through his hair. "It's just I don't want to leave you, but I have to go, it's basically career suicide to let something like this go."

Yukino frowned, "Crocus is a bit of a drive."

Sting looked at her and then he turned away with a frown, "If you don't want to still see me during this I understand. I know it's so far and we just started dating. . ."

"Why wouldn't I still want to see you?" Yukino asked. "Wait, do you want to break up with me?"

Sting turned back to her sharply, his eyes wide. He grabbed her hand, "Of course not!"

Yukino smiled sweetly, "Well, you of all people know all the ways we can keep in touch! You might have to teach me to use most of it, but we could video chat and text. Four hours isn't great, but it isn't too far, maybe I could get a weekend off every now and then to come see you."

Sting sat back and watched her out of the corner of his eye, "That would be nice."

"And we still have over a month left together right?" Yukino leaned closer to him. "We'll just have to make the most of it."

Sting sighed and touched her face, "Yukino, I love you."

Yukino beamed, "I love you too!" He kissed her gently and she took it upon herself to deepen the kiss, trying to repeat the way he had kissed her earlier. This seemed to surprise him, he took a moment to react, then he caught up to her. He grabbed her sides and pulled her close to him. Then his hands were running up and down her back, and through her hair. When she released him, he appeared to be struggling, his eyes were clenched shut and his brow furrowed. "Did I not do that right?" she asked, worried she had made a mistake.

He opened his eyes and grinned at her, "No Yukino, you almost did that too right." Sting stared at her for a moment, his eyes bright, his breaths still coming fast. Then he blinked hard and breathed out deeply, "Dinner right? We were going to have dinner? Why don't we go do that?"

She bounced off of him, still on a high from the kiss and his confession, "That sounds great, let me just run to the restroom real quick before we go."

When she disappeared, she missed Sting leaning forward and catching his breath. It was going to take him a moment before he could get back up off the couch.

* * *

 

Mira was so happy that she practically skipped over to where Laxus sat having dinner with his friends. When she hopped into his lap, his eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't protest. Laxus grinned and wrapped an arm around her waist, then gave her a kiss before returning to his drink.

"Hey, gross! Get a room, we don't want to see any of that sappy crap here," Bixlow complained with a smile.

"Fuck off, you're just jealous," Laxus took a drink of his beer.

"But I am! Mira when is Lisanna going to be back in? Obviously Strausses are the only people worth dating since even Evergreen melted her heart enough to let Elfman in."

Evergreen gave Bixlow the stink eye, "For the last time, I am not dating Elfman!"

Bixlow laughed and motioned to her cocktail, "You won't be saying that after a few more of those!"

"I think Lisanna might be a little too far out of your league Bixlow," Freed smirked into his scotch.

"Wha! That's harsh Freed," Bixlow pouted. Then he sat up straighter and grinned mischievously, "Oh, I get it. Are you just feeling left out? Maybe Mira's got a cousin or a hidden sister that you can have," he noted Freed's look of distaste, "or brother, you know, whatever mood Freed's in that day." Freed rolled his eyes.

"Sorry Bixlow, it's just the three of us I'm afraid," Mira giggled.

"Well that's a bummer," Bixlow frowned.

Mira rested her head on Laxus' chest and stared out into the dining room. She sighed and looked up at him, "I got my dream, isn't it beautiful?"

Laxus looked down at her with a confused expression, "hmm?"

Mira threw her arms out wide, "Everyone is here! Just like I wanted!" Macao and Wakaba sat at the bar with Makarov, all her adorable couple friends sat having their own separate romantic meals, even the Connell's sat in a booth with Asuka, though she was already asleep in her mother's arms. Then Elfman walked in the door and waved to Cana. Fairy tail had become a place where everyone could spend their evening.

Laxus gave her a little squeeze, "Yea babe, you did it. This place is great."

Mira tapped her lip thoughtfully, "You are right about one thing Bixlow, Lisanna needs to come back. She's the only piece missing."

"Did you hear that? Mira said I was right," Bixlow grinned and crossed his arms.

"I wouldn't get used to it," Freed said dryly.

Mira looked over at Natsu and Lucy again, "Lucy looks so pretty tonight! Is tonight some sort of anniversary for them? Even Natsu looks more dressed up than usual."

Laxus raised a brow, "How the hell would I know? Natsu looks the same to me, always wearing that damn scarf like a security blanket."

Mira noted that Natsu kept touching the scarf and his knee bobbed in place, "He looks nervous . . . ." She sat up straight, "Oh my god, Laxus!"

Laxus sighed, "No way Mira, don't start that shit again. Leave them be."

Freed glanced over at the couple, "You are right Mira, Natsu does seem not himself."

Bixlow whistled, "Think he's gonna ask her tonight? It would be smart, she's one beautiful baby."

"He is lucky she puts up with him, I for one would never put up with such a child," Evergreen added.

"That's right, you need someone a little more . . .manly," teased Bixlow.

Elfman took the seat next to Evergreen, "Who's manly? Are you talking about me?"

Evergreen covered her face and screamed into her hands. Elfman's eyes widened, "Okay, forget I asked."

"Look at Natsu and Lucy, doesn't he seem nervous to you?" Mira asked.

Laxus gave her a little squeeze on the hip with the hand that was holding her and whispered in her ear, "Let it go Mira, or I'll be forced to take you in the back and make you forget it."

Her eyes widened as she felt an excited chill roll through her. She lifted her lips to his ear and whispered back, "Be careful what you threaten, I might just take you up on that." She giggled at his surprised expression and the way his entire body tensed at her statement.

Laxus huffed out a sigh and rested his face in his hand, "Fuck I can't win with you." Mira just laughed and gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

She heard Bixlow sigh, "Damn, I've got to find me a Strauss."

* * *

 

Lucy had definitely noticed that Natsu seemed nervous. He was so fidgety she was tempted to ask him if he needed to use the restroom. "Is everything okay?"

He furrowed his brow, "Of course it's okay, why wouldn't it be okay?"

"Because you just wrote Lucy on the bottom of the receipt instead of your name," Lucy said with a smile.

Natsu looked down quickly at his writing, "Damnit!" He crossed out her name and wrote his own. "It's your fault Lucy, you're just so distracting!" He looked back up with a toothy grin.

Lucy blushed and stood, then pulled her coat from the back of the chair, "So over to the bakery then? Are you sure you need a whole cheesecake, you could just get a piece of one here you know. It's the same thing." Natsu stared at her with a brow raised. Lucy laughed, "Okay, of course, let's go get you a whole cheesecake."

They waved goodbye to all their friends who were now sitting at the bar. Lucy thought it was weird that they all seemed to be staring at them with wide grins on their faces. Plus Mira was hugging Cana extremely tight.

Cana wiggled her brows, "Go make it a night to remember Natsu!"

"That was weird," Lucy said as they stepped into the cold night air, finally aware from peering eyes.

"Yea," Natsu laughed nervously. "What a bunch a weirdos. They make you look normal." Then he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

When they got close to the bakery, Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Oh no! It looks like Yukino left the lights on. That's so unusual for her. I hope she's not still here for some reason, she was supposed to go into town to see Sting."

Natsu frowned, "Yea, that's odd," he said stiffly.

She pulled out of his hold and put the keys in the door to unlock it. Then she practically ran to the back to make sure everything was okay, leaving Natsu behind to deal with locking the door behind them.

When she arrived in the kitchen, she stopped. Lucy was surprised to find dozens of wooden ornaments, all hanging from the ceiling. She grabbed the first one, it had a burned image of her letting Natsu into the bakery. She turned back to him, "Did you make these?"

He shrugged, "I was gonna just make them like pictures that you could hang on the wall, but I thought ornaments would be better, then we could hang 'em on a tree at Christmas. Do you like them?"

"Natsu! These are adorable!" she exclaimed, she looked at the next one and chuckled at the image of Natsu with his head in her oven. There was a gingerbread man carrying a muffin and next to it one with an image of Lucy fixing Natsu's scarf. She laughed out loud at the image of Natsu punching Toby, "Oh my god, I almost forgot about that! How is Toby doing now?"

"I ran into his brother Yuka the other day, I think he's still in rehab," Natsu frowned.

"Good, hopefully he can stay the straight and narrow this time," Lucy smiled and looked at an ornament that had Natsu sitting on her old couch with her leaning on him asleep. The one next to it was the image of a bag of lemons, "The lemons! I was really pathetic back then huh?"

Natsu grinned, "You just couldn't resist my sexy charm."

Lucy snorted, "Yea that must be it. Oh my god Natsu, this one is hilarious!" She held up the one that had her in a bubble bath with Natsu's surprised face in the background and a cloud of smoke.

"Sexiest oven fire ever," Natsu chuckled.

She smiled at the next two; chasing Natsu with pizza, their first kiss in the workshop; but stopped at the image of a kitty cat wearing a new year's party hat. "What is this one?"

"Well I couldn't draw you crawling around in your underwear! Our kids might see these one day!" he exclaimed.

Lucy looked around and noticed there was also a cat playing go fish and one holding a hammer, "Natsu! Did you make an ornament for every time I drank too much? Those aren't exactly occasions I want to remember forever you know!"

He just shrugged, "I really liked making Lucy cats."

Lucy shook her head and laughed. She ran her hand over image after image; cooking in his kitchen, eating with his family, eating with hers, snuggling in his room, sitting in front of a hibachi grill, kissing in front of a bonfire, painting the house, icing his bruises, when he gave her her car, Natsu in front of her mother's portrait, holding hands in front of their house, a wedding dress, holding Levy's babies, and Natsu carrying her into the ocean. She snorted at the image of the crashed boat, "Are you sure you want to remember this forever?"

"If I didn't have that one, I wouldn't have this one," he pointed to an ornament of them laying on a beach with a sky full of stars.

Lucy moved towards the center of the room where there were two ornaments on the table and a small gift wrapped box. "Yukino helped me with those, I wanted a couple with color," Natsu rubbed the back of his head and grinned. The last two ornaments were painted, one with the image of Lucy in his lap releasing fireflies, the other with them hugging and "I'm not going anywhere" written beneath.

"These are beautiful," Lucy breathed out.

Natsu motioned with his chin to the box, "Open it."

Lucy smiled at him and untied the bow, then gently removed the wrapping. She could feel the nerves radiating off of him as he stood behind her, fidgeting with his scarf; he was so cute. Lucy opened the box and nearly lost her breath at the image of Natsu placing a ring on her finger.

"It's been quite a year, hasn't it Luce?" came Natsu's voice behind her. She turned holding the ornament in her hand and looked up to find him nervously holding out a box. He grinned, "Will you marry me Lucy?"

The ring inside was her mother's, meaning that her father not only already knew this was happening, but he approved. How had Natsu had time to do all this? Overwhelmed, her eyes started to tear and she grabbed her mouth, snuffing out the sob that threatened to escape.

Natsu tilted his head and wrinkled his brow, "Are you okay Lucy? Was this too much? I knew it would be too much. I know you wanted simple, but I made one of these things and I liked it so much that I just kept going. Or maybe this was too soon? You're not saying anything Lucy, it's kinda freaking me out."

Lucy ran forward and hugged him tight, "Yes Natsu! I'll marry you!" she choked out. Then she kissed his smiling, relieved face.

There was a loud cheer from outside, Natsu and Lucy turned towards the front door and spotted almost the entire crowd from Fairy Tail standing at Lucy's bakery's front door. Natsu covered his face and groaned, "You've gotta be kidding me!" He pointed back in the direction of Mira's restaurant, "Get out of here!" he yelled. The group all groaned and slowly began to shuffle back in the restaurant's direction.

Lucy giggled, "They're probably going to want us to go over there after this you know."

"Well I'm not done yet!" Natsu scowled. He pulled the ring from the box and placed the box on the table. Then he took hold of Lucy's hand and slid the ring on her finger. He stared at it for a moment then looked her in the eye, a slow grin growing on his face. "I love you Lucy."

Lucy put her arms over his shoulders and smiled up at him, "I love you too Natsu." She kissed him and they heard a high pitched squeal. They turned to see Laxus, with an extremely upset Mira thrown over his shoulder, heading back towards her restaurant. Lucy laughed into Natsu's chest.

Natsu sighed, "They are all going to be so annoying."

Lucy grinned up at him, "Well, that's our family."

"Yea," Natsu smiled back, "That is our family."

He kissed her again and this time they heard a wolf whistle, "Yea Natsu! Give her the tongue!"

Natsu threw his head back and groaned, "Our annoying family." Then he stormed towards the door, yelling "Why do you always gotta ruin the moment Cana?"

Lucy laughed and began collecting her ornaments, then gently wrapped them in wax paper in one of her pastry boxes. Lucy paused for a moment before putting in the last one, the image of her letting Natsu into the bakery. Who knew that simple moment could change her whole life?

"Are you ready Lucy?" She turned to Natsu who was holding out his hand.

Lucy grabbed her box of moments and took his hand in hers. With a smile she said, "Yea Natsu, let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of Burnt Cookies, my plan is to take a break and come back with a sequel following wedding planning etc but it won't be until the end of June or early July. Thanks so much for reading! I hope it brought you smiles XD

**Author's Note:**

> The Burnt Cookies AU will be continued on in my story Scorched Wedding Cakes. Thanks so much for reading!


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